Anxiety is growing inside Democratic circles over a crucial part of the party’s coalition as November’s midterm elections approach.
Some Jewish voters are becoming increasingly uneasy with Democrats they believe have failed to clearly and forcefully denounce anti-Semitism within the party’s progressive ranks — a concern that could carry consequences in competitive Senate contests nationwide.
Still, polling conducted in early March by the Jewish Electorate Institute, a nonprofit 501 organization, found that close to three-quarters of Jewish voters continued to say they planned to support Democrats.
In Michigan, Democratic US Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed is trying to repair relations with Jewish voters after a contentious primary campaign in which he made comments viewed as offensive about Jews and the state of Israel.
A Michigan rabbi who spoke with the New York Times said that even though his congregation is “predominantly Democratic,” many members remained conflicted about whom to support in the race.
“I was very disappointed in the primary season in particular that so many politicians and pundits and podcasters seem to single out Israel and American supporters of Israel for criticism,” Rabbi Starr told the Times.
More than 400 Jewish Democrats and Independents have signed a public pledge backing El-Sayed’s Republican rival, former Congressman Mike Rogers.
Since the primary, El-Sayed’s campaign has sought to rebuild trust by reaching out directly to Jewish voters.
Democratic candidate for US Senate Abdul El-Sayed is facing tough questions over his past statements on Jews and Israel as he faces off against Republican Mike Rogers in the US Senate race in Michigan
Attendees wear ‘Trump’ yarmulkes at the 2019 meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition, in Las Vegas
A pro-Palestinian protestor holds Palestinian flag near a line of LAPD officers outside Pomona College’s commencement ceremony in 2024 after the ceremony was moved off campus due to pro-Palestinian protestors occupying the main commencement stage
In Texas, the party’s Democratic nominee James Talarico has called Israel’s actions in Gaza ‘ war crimes’ and advocated for the US to not arm Israel. He does support Israel’s right to be a Jewish state.
In a statement to NBC, Talarico’s campaign manager Seth Krasne said his candidate has a ‘longstanding record combating antisemitism, defending Jewish students on the floor of the Texas House, and supporting Israel’s right to exist,’ which ‘demonstrates his steadfast commitment to Jewish safety.’
In Georgia, Democrat Jon Ossoff who is himself Jewish, has been criticized for not having ‘ironclad’ support for Israel in his competitive re-election race.
From coast to coast, the level of support Democratic primary candidates received from AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee which is made up of US citizens who are supportive of pro-Israel policies, was used as a wedge issue.
In a number of states, from New York to Michigan and Minnesota, AIPAC – backed incumbent Democrats at often times representing the more moderate wing of their party lost to Progressive insurgents who were anti-Israel at best and straight up anti-Semitic at worst.
Senator Jon Ossoff, a Georgia Democrat running for re-election this year who is himself Jewish, has been criticized for not having ‘ironclad’ support for Israel
In Texas, the party’s Democratic nominee James Talarico has called Israel’s actions in Gaza ‘war crimes’ and advocated for the US to not arm Israel. He does support Israel’s right to be a Jewish state
Joel Rubin, a former deputy assistant secretary of state from the Obama administration who was also the Jewish outreach director for Bernie Sanders 2020 campaign, noted in an August op-ed in the Free Press that even then, the campaign realized that Jews ‘were an important constituency for Sanders, and they worried that anti-Zionist voices in his coalition would jeopardize his Jewish support.’
Jewish candidates including Scott Wiener in California’s San Francisco Bay Area and Brad Lander in New York City who ousted fellow Democrat Dan Goldman have been criticized for not being progressive enough just because they are Jewish.
Sam Markstein, spokesman for the Republican Jewish Coalition told Our News Outlet, that ‘the Republican Party is the only political home where American Jews can be proudly Jewish and loudly pro-Israel — and the Democrats have made the contrast impossible to miss by handing their party over to the far-left mob.’
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who was elected to his job last year despite his questionable views on Jews and Muslims, was asked by some of his constituents including the families of 9-11 victims to not attend the 25th anniversary ceremony of the tragedy this week, but he has stated that he plans to be there anyways.
With 56 days remaining until the November midterms, the support of Jewish voters appears to be up for grabs in several critical contests across the country, which could determine the control of congress next year.
