By Halie Soifer in Washington, D.C.
I receive quite a few daily requests of varying natures, especially now that my kids are back from camp and my duties as a short-distance driver and short-order cook have resumed. The following request was distinct, however, so I’m sharing it with the hope it can benefit all of you.
This week, I was asked to answer a question from a JDCA member’s – and perhaps your own – family text chain about what’s happening in the political arena from the perspective of American Jews. Since Abdul El-Sayed’s primary win last week in Michigan, I’ve had family members ask me how they should vote in November. In New York City, I’ve heard from many lifelong Democrats concerned about the DSA primary wins in June. On a recent trip to Colorado, I heard similar concerns about the DSA candidate who unseated a three-decade incumbent. The common thread? In these elections, the far-left and DSA candidates made their opposition to AIPAC and the current Israeli government a centerpiece of their campaigns.
So, what is happening in the Democratic Party when it comes to Israel and Jews?
First, people want change. Democratic voters, and especially younger voters, are more inclined to support candidates who represent change than those viewed as part of the “establishment.” This is a pendulum swing occurring from within the party, and it’s more about rejecting all that has been broken with our politics and economy than it is about Israel or Jews. It’s also about generational change, which is why we’ve seen – in primaries with two similarly positioned Democratic candidates – the defeat of long-time incumbents and rise of “next generation” candidates.
Second, we make a mistake if we assume these calls for change are solely about Israel. The truth is that people want healthcare and affordable groceries and gas, and socialists have a strong message – albeit perhaps an unattainable one – for delivering on these issues. It’s similar to Mayor Mamdani’s supporters seeking affordable housing, free buses, and subsidized groceries and childcare, as opposed to supporting him because he threatened to arrest Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Third, a handful of candidates have used AIPAC and Israel as proxy boogeymen for the problems they’re seeking to fix in this country, such as Abdul El-Sayed’s suggestion that the minuscule percentage of the federal budget that goes toward U.S. security assistance for Israel could instead “provide healthcare here” at home.
We can have reasonable debates over the future of U.S. foreign aid without blaming aid to Israel for America’s broken healthcare system. As for dark money in politics, AIPAC is by no means the only actor; let’s not forget about AI and crypto. AIPAC is an easy target for the far-left, especially since the targeting is mutual. The problem is that the hyper-focus on “Jewish money” in politics can yield a more sinister result of exacerbating antisemitic stereotypes at a time when nine out of ten Jewish voters are concerned about rising antisemitism in the United States.
Fourth, a similar flattening of nuance is occurring in the debate over U.S. security assistance and weapons sales for Israel. Many have framed U.S. security assistance for Israel as rubber stamping the policies of the Netanyahu government, a notion JDCA rejects because of our shared security interests and the acute security threats facing Israel. The U.S.-Israel security relationship is mutually reinforcing and beneficial and shouldn’t be politicized or used as a political wedge issue by Republicans or Democrats, in or out of power.
Fifth, sharp divisions over U.S. policy toward Israel fall along generational lines just as much as partisan ones. Divisions aren’t limited to Democrats. Republicans are reportedly “souring on Israel,” including Vice President JD Vance. And yet the partisan distinction is notable – Democrats are mostly concerned about the humanitarian implications of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, while Republicans’ growing opposition to Israel is more fundamental. As Israel Policy Forum’s Michael Koplow describes, “On the right, the issue is not what Israel does, but what Israel is.”
Jewish Americans are also deeply divided on U.S. policy toward Israel despite our overwhelming emotional attachment to its security and future. Polling from May indicates that nearly seven out of ten Jewish voters have an emotional attachment to Israel, but nearly the same amount – 67% – disapprove of Prime Minister Netanyahu. Fifty-five percent oppose how Israel conducted the war in Gaza, which only 16% of American Jews believe was “a success.” This polling also demonstrates deep generational divides among American Jews when it comes to Israel.
Sixth, most Democrats support Israel’s future as a Jewish and democratic state, and don’t equivocate when it comes to condemning the horrors of October 7 or antisemitic violence and when Jews are targeted because of Israel. Those who refuse to adopt these mainstream positions are outliers in the Democratic Party, and will not receive the support of organizations like ours.
As I wrote last week, while candidates like Abdul El-Sayed may believe that their critiques of Israel are their biggest challenge when it comes to gaining support of American Jews, antisemitism is also a significant issue. El-Sayed wouldn’t campaign alongside far-left activists like Hasan Piker if he were a known Islamophobe, racist, or white supremacist. Piker being an apologist for Hamas and Hezbollah, and serving as “the poster child for the post-October 7 outbreak of antisemitism in America,” should be enough for El-Sayed to cut his ties with him, and any other Democrat who appears with Piker should follow.
Seventh, most Democratic candidates have never appeared with extremists like Hasan Piker, and it’s not necessarily a winning strategy for the far-left candidates who do. This week, in a close Wisconsin gubernatorial primary, the candidate who embraced Piker, Francesca Hong, was defeated by JDCA-endorsed candidate David Crowley, who refused to do the same. As Crowley said, “I don’t want to lend credibility to platforms, if you will, that I believe further divides us as a community, further divides Democrats,” referring to appearances with Piker.
Finally, the “problem” of the far-left is not nearly as large as some would have us believe. If the rise of DSA candidates is your largest cause for concern, let me present some numbers. According to DSA’s own campaign website, there have been four “nationally endorsed” federal primary winners moving on to the general election, and three federal primary winners who were not “nationally endorsed.” Fifteen of their candidates lost their federal primaries. So, let’s call that seven DSA candidates moving on to the general election. There are 435 House races and 33 Senate races, which means that seven out of 468 races will include a DSA candidate in November. For those keeping track, DSA candidates are just 1%of the Democrats running for Congress. If you include far-left but non-DSA candidates, like El-Sayed, let’s call it 2%. That’s a small number.
Contrast these numbers with the 100% alignment with Donald Trump on the other side of the aisle, and this seems to be the part of the equation that political alarmists willfully ignore. We tune out Trump’s destruction at our own peril. Three days ago, Donald Trump signaled a desire to declare a national security emergency in an attempt to take over or cancel the midterm elections. What did Republicans say or do about this blatant attack on our democracy and the very elections they’ll need to get elected? Nothing.
Also three days ago, the military’s own news outlets broke stories of increased suicide attempts, decreased mental health, and other poor conditions on USS Abraham Lincoln, given its more than 250-day deployment supporting Trump’s never-ending war in Iran.
This comes after The Washington Post reported on the shocking depletion of munitions due to the endless war, and the grave U.S. national security vulnerabilities as a result. What are Republicans doing about it? Nothing.
The list of reckless, corrupt, irresponsible, costly, ineffective, extreme, and dangerous policies implemented by this White House is much longer than I can possibly cite in this email. But you’re all missing something on your family text chain if it doesn’t also include “what’s going on with this White House?”
There are reasons to be concerned about a small number of Democratic candidates and elected officials when it comes to antisemitism and Israel, but none of them are currently sitting in the White House directly threatening our national security, democracy, future, economy, civil liberties, fundamental rights, and values. And none of them are silently acquiescing to Trump, as we’ve seen with this Republican-controlled Senate and House.
Republicans should all be held accountable in November in order to re-establish guardrails on Donald Trump, which is why we’re supporting more than 145 Democrats positioned to do just that in the midterms. JDCA only supports Democrats, but we don’t support all Democrats; we only support those who align with our values. These include the Democrats positioned to flip red Senate and House seats to blue, which is the only way for Democrats to take back control.
If any of this resonates with you, please share it on your family text chain. There’s no simple or easy answer to “what’s going on here,” but there is a fairly easy answer to what we can all do about it – VOTE for Democrats who share your values, and support and join our efforts to make a difference in November.
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Halie Soifer is the CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America.