Divides are emerging on aid to Israel among the Democratic candidates in the primary race in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District as one candidate, businessman Brian Varela, picks up a series of endorsements from anti-Israel groups.

“If we’re going to provide aid to other countries, I don’t think it’s enough to just follow U.S. law and international law. I would actually support providing additional conditions to make sure that we can further American interests and to make sure that the countries that we are helping are living in alignment with our values,” Varela said in response to a question about conditioning aid to Israel at a debate in the district last week.

Varela previously told Jewish Insider in July 2025 that Israel has been a “strong ally for us, and I think it’s important to make sure that we are there for Israel, that we help Israel with their ability to defend themselves.”

His campaign clarified to JI this week that he was not calling for specific conditions on aid for Israel alone.

Emmett Shell, Varela’s campaign manager, told JI: “When Brian talks about conditioning aid, he is talking about every country that receives American taxpayer dollars, not Israel specifically. Conditioning aid is one of the most important tools of soft power we have. It is how we make sure American values and American interests are actually being advanced with American money abroad.”

Rebecca Bennett, a veteran who is seen as the favorite of national Democrats in the race, said at the debate she had, as a member of the military, “the opportunity to see how important Israel is as an ally to the United States,” but said that “I also think that what Netanyahu is doing is not in the best long-term interest of Israel.”

But she also emphasized that Israel should not be subject to a “higher standard or a lower standard” than any other ally. Pressed on whether she’d support new conditions on Israel, Bennett said, “I’m going to be focused on making sure that Israel is following U.S. law, and then we’ll go from there.”

Democrat Michael Roth, the former head of the Small Business Administration, who previously told JI he wanted to be a leader of a new generation of pro-Israel Democrats, said at the debate he supports “conditioning aid to Israel up to U.S. law, international law, humanitarian law.” 

He said that, as “a Jew who has deep ties to Israel,” he believes that “[Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu has been horrible,” and emphasized the “shared humanity” of Israelis and Palestinians.

Roth said in an interview with JI last May that U.S. aid to Israel is “some of the best investment that you can make” and that he had strong confidence in the Israeli military and would not support conditions or restrictions on aid to Israel.

In a follow-up interview with JI on Wednesday, Roth emphasized his strong personal ties to Israel and the need to “be honest with our friends and hold them accountable if we want to lead the world as we have done over the last 100 years.”

He said that “we need to make sure that we are enforcing our laws evenly, and that nobody is getting special treatment, and that we actually have enforcement,” but declined to specify whether he would also support new conditions on aid that apply to Israel alone.

Asked whether he thinks current U.S. laws have not been enforced on Israel, Roth responded, “I think Trump has very clearly not enforced international law, has had no interest in doing so.”

He said that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has “made my heart bleed” and that, while he “strongly believe[s] in Israel’s right to defend itself … those actions are different than what they have been in the last year and a half.”

Roth said his views have evolved as a result of conversations with both Jewish and Muslim communities in the district. And he argued that long-term support for Israel requires leaders who will listen to all perspectives and speak with those who disagree.

Tina Shah, a physician, said she did not support conditioning aid to Israel.

Though she condemned the humanitarian situation in Gaza and Netanyahu specifically, she said, “I don’t think that [we] should change our relationship with the country because of one prime minister, and that’s why I don’t support conditioning aid.”

Varela, who entered the race as a centrist but has subsequently been working to pick up progressive support, also recently earned endorsements from several progressive and anti-Israel groups, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the founder of which expressed support for Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. The group’s New Jersey chapter justified the Oct. 7 attacks days after they occurred.

“As a leading Muslim American political advocacy organization, CAIR Action knows that I am committed to upholding the rights of all Americans, regardless of religion or race,” Varela said when he announced the endorsement. “They recognize that I have built a grassroots movement dedicated to protecting voting rights, lowering costs, and fixing our broken immigration system. They know I’m the fighter NJ-07 needs and the leader this district deserves.”

Asked about the endorsement, Shell, the Varela campaign spokesperson said Varela “has been clear and consistent in his opposition to Hamas from day one,” believes “there is no justification for the October 7 attack,” and “opposes violence in all of its forms, including the violence Palestinian civilians are facing in Gaza.”

“Brian was not aware of the specific referenced comments, and he does not share those views. He appreciates support from community organizations across NJ-07, including from Muslim American voters who want to see a representative who will fight for peace, but accepting an endorsement is not an endorsement of every statement an organization or its leaders have ever made,” the spokesperson continued.

Varela was also endorsed by A New Policy, a campaign and lobbying group that aims to shift U.S. policy toward Israel. The group’s advocacy arm has accused Israel of genocide, urges cutting off and conditioning U.S. aid to Israel and opposes the Antisemitism Awareness Act and the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, among a range of other policies.

“This organization understands that America’s politics need to serve the people, not the powerful, and that our elected officials need to actually fight for working people, take on corporate power, and ensure Congress is acting in America’s best interests,” Varela said, in announcing the endorsement. “That is the kind of Democrat I am running to be, and that is the kind of leadership I will bring to Congress.”

Asked about the endorsement and A New Policy’s stances, the Varela campaign spokesperson said, “Brian welcomes support from a broad coalition, but his positions are his own. Brian has been clear about the humanitarian catastrophe and the unacceptable civilian death toll, and he believes the United States should use its leverage to push for complete peace in the Middle East.”

Regarding the Antisemitism Awareness Act, the spokesperson said, “Brian believes antisemitism is a real and growing threat that has to be confronted seriously, and he stands with the Jewish community in NJ-07 in saying so. He has concerns about how codifying any single definition into federal law could affect protected political speech, but he wants Congress to act on antisemitism and is open to working on language that does both.”

The 7th District, rated by the Cook Political Report as a toss-up race, is one of the strongest pickup opportunities for Democrats this cycle, especially given Rep. Tom Kean Jr.’s (R-NJ) monthslong absence from the House, which aides and family members have attributed to medical issues.

Recent internal polling by both Bennett and Shah’s campaigns have placed Bennett in the lead — but offer different pictures of the size of her lead in the race.

A Bennett poll showed her at 36%, far ahead of Shah at 15%, Varela at 13% and Roth at 12%. But a Shah poll showed a tight race between her and Bennett, at 26% and 23%, and Varela and Roth lagging farther behind at 10% and 7%, respectively.

A Nebraska-based group, Real Change PAC, has also recently begun spending close to $450,000 in the race, hitting Bennett as insufficiently progressive and boosting Shah and Varela. 

Reports indicate the group may be backed by Republicans, and linked to another shadowy GOP-linked super PAC, Lead Left PAC, which has gained attention this week for boosting Maureen Galindo, an openly antisemitic Democrat running in a Texas congressional race.