Pro-Israel groups target former GOP congressman's comeback attempt

Two pro-Israel groups are launching new campaigns against former GOP Rep. John Hostettler in Indiana, who is looking to return for Congress nearly 20 years since leaving office.

The Republican Jewish Coalition and United Democracy Project, a super PAC tied to AIPAC, announced this week they are launching ads targeting the former congressman, who is part of a crowded field of Republicans competing to succeed retiring GOP Rep. Larry Bucshon.

"John Hostettler has a terrible record on Israel that is way out of line with the voters in Indiana’s 8th District,” United Democracy Project spokesperson Patrick Dorton told NBC News. “The voters deserve to know his 'out of the mainstream' track record on this issue.”

The group launched an ad on Thursday criticizing Hostettler, who served in Congress from 1995 to 2007, for his vote opposing a resolution voicing support for Israel amid its conflict with Palestine in October of 2000. The ad is part of a more than $500,000 campaign.

The RJC also cited that vote and others opposing aid for Israel in a statement announcing it would spend $1 million against Hostettler on the airwaves, saying in a statement that Hostettler has also “trafficked antisemitic conspiracy theories.” The Jewish Insider, which first reported United Democracy Project’s spending, noted that after he left Congress, Hostettler wrote in a book that the U.S. engaged in the Iraq War to protect Israel.

The RJC also announced it is backing state Sen. Mark Messmer in the crowded primary. Whoever wins the May 7 GOP primary is likely to come to Congress, given the district’s strong Republican lean.

This is the first competitive GOP primary that United Democracy Project is engaging in. The group has spent tens of millions