{"id":44684,"date":"2026-08-14T16:18:27","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T11:18:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=44684"},"modified":"2026-08-14T16:18:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T11:18:27","slug":"what-american-jews-want-from-the-midterms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=44684","title":{"rendered":"What American Jews want from the midterms"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"zephr-anchor\">\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">There\u2019s a lot of discussion <em>about<\/em> Jewish voters in politics this cycle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">With Democrats embroiled in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/politics\/496229\/michigan-senate-abdul-el-sayed-haley-stevens\">loud arguments<\/a> over Israel and Gaza, Republicans have been hoping to capture more of the Jewish vote by linking criticism of Israel to antisemitism. \u201cHow a Jewish person can vote for a Democrat is beyond me,\u201d President Donald Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/liveblog_entry\/trump-again-asks-why-jews-vote-for-democrats-says-hes-been-best-president-in-israels-history\/\">said last month.<\/a> His administration has made cracking down on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/21\/us\/trump-campus-antisemitism-fight-universities.html\">anti-Israel campus activists<\/a> \u2014 a top early priority \u2014 and has called Democrats \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/03\/12\/trump-calls-schumer-a-palestinian-while-defending-gop-spending-bill-egg-prices-and-tariff-policy-00226516\">Palestinian<\/a>\u201d or \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/08\/10\/us\/politics\/trump-democrats-somalis-jihadists-muslim.html\">jihadists<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">Meanwhile, Democrats have pointed to the rise of openly antisemitic influencers within the conservative movement, which has become a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c-span.org\/clip\/public-affairs-event\/ted-cruz-warns-against-rise-of-right-wing-antisemitism-calls-tucker-carlson-a-dangerous-demagogue\/5195961\">divisive<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/podcasts\/468776\/nick-fuentes-tucker-carlson-republicans-nazi-antisemitic\">topic<\/a> on the right that also runs into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/politics\/484125\/israel-maga-iran-religious-catholic-evangelical-zionism-dispensationalism-vatican-anti-semitism-tucker-huckabee-ted-cruz\">debates over Israel<\/a>, as a pressing threat to Jews.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">But what do Jewish voters <em>themselves<\/em> actually want? That\u2019s a nuanced question, and one that we have fresh polling and voting data on to help us dissect this cycle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">American Jews aren\u2019t a large voting bloc \u2014 just over 2 percent of the population \u2014 but there are also significant communities in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brandeis.edu\/stories\/2024\/october\/election-saxe.html\">some key swing states<\/a> and competitive districts. As a matter of partisan politics, Jews have historically voted Democratic by wide margins, but Republicans have long hoped to peel them off, often by emphasizing their support for Israel. Though it\u2019s been a common refrain from pro-Israel and Republican activists for decades that a GOP realignment was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2019\/04\/07\/donald-trump-jewish-vote-2020-1260172\">just<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2004\/10\/26\/opinion\/why-theyre-fighting-for-the-jewish-vote.html\">around the<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2008\/11\/obama-fared-better-than-feared-with-jews-015677\">corner<\/a>, it wasn\u2019t until the 2024 presidential election that these voices got a firm boost. Nationally, and in local communities, Jewish support for the Democratic Party<a href=\"https:\/\/split-ticket.org\/2025\/02\/18\/the-jewish-american-vote\/\"> seemed to drop slightly<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--block-placement _13j8zv42 _13j8zv40 duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<div class=\"duet--article--highlight _10sa9oml _1a70pe0\">\n<div class=\"_1a70pe6\">\n<ul class=\"duet--article--unordered-list _10sa9omi uyby7v0 pn04iq1 _1a70pe7\">\n<li class=\"uyby7v1\"><span class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup\">.Jewish voters remain strongly and consistently Democratic overall, despite a modest Republican shift in 2024<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"uyby7v1\"><span class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup\">Domestic concerns \u2014 especially democracy, affordability, health care, and abortion rights \u2014 are key issues, while rising antisemitism and personal safety have become major unifying anxieties.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"uyby7v1\"><span class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup\">Views on Israel are complex: most Jewish Americans identify as pro-Israel while criticizing Netanyahu or Israeli policies, and many distinguish legitimate policy debate from antisemitism\u2014even as they worry that anti-Israel rhetoric can cross that line.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">Elections since then have been difficult to parse. In last year\u2019s New York City mayoral election, for example, Zohran Mamdani won <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jta.org\/2025\/11\/05\/politics\/mamdani-wins-33-of-the-jewish-vote-in-nyc-compared-to-63-for-cuomo-exit-poll-shows\">about 33 percent of Jewish voters<\/a>, compared to the 63 percent that went for Andrew Cuomo in a race where divisions over Israel and antisemitism featured strongly. In the primary, many Cuomo voters also backed Mamdani ally Brad Lander, a Jewish progressive who was sharply critical of Israel \u2014 and who went on to easily defeat Rep. Dan Goldman in a congressional primary in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jta.org\/2026\/06\/23\/politics\/lander-challenges-the-incumbent-goldman-in-nys-10th-district\">a heavily Jewish district this year<\/a> while running to his left on Israel issues. Meanwhile, in New Jersey, left-wing Democrat Analilia Mejia won a special election for a House seat while harshly criticizing Israel. But her candidacy led some Jewish strongholds <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/04\/17\/mejia-new-jersey-elections-00878573\">to swing massively toward Republicans<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">So, what happens to the Jewish vote in the 2026 midterms? This segment of voters is no monolith, experts say, and finding the \u201cright\u201d way to talk about Israel is no guarantor of electoral success. Polls show Jewish voters hold competing priorities in their minds: They\u2019re increasingly concerned about antisemitism and their personal safety in America, and they hold complex and divergent views on Israel, which often is not a defining voting issue, even as it seems to be the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/2026-election\/jewish-democrats-grapple-changing-party-israels-entrenched-leadership-rcna345311\">dominant way<\/a> strategists and pundits talk about this electorate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">Here\u2019s what the latest data has to say about what Jewish voters want and how their politics are changing this cycle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p><h2 class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup\">The remarkable consistency of the Jewish electorate<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">Aside from Black voters, there have traditionally been no more loyal Democratic voters than Jewish Americans. Since 2008, between 60 and 80 percent of these voters picked the Democratic candidate, while about 60 percent have consistently identified with the party over the last two decades.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">That changed slightly after 2024, when exit polls suggested a six-point swing toward Donald Trump compared to 2020. Jewish communities in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, meanwhile, shifted more dramatically \u2014 which analysts for <a href=\"https:\/\/split-ticket.org\/2025\/02\/18\/the-jewish-american-vote\/\">the election data site Split Ticket<\/a> argued last year represented a 5 to 10 percentage-point swing against Democrats.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">There are plenty of arguments over how and why this happened \u2014 pollsters and experts I spoke with told me that, despite the majority of Jewish American voters still siding with Democrats, the voting group mirrored other traditionally Democratic voting groups\u2019 swing against the incumbent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">\u201cBiden won the election, Harris lost the election,\u201d Tali deGroot, the national political director of J Street, told Vox. \u201cThat means that every single community likely saw shifts with fewer people voting for the Democrat.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">Others argue it was a return to more of a baseline of voter behavior. 2020 was the aberration, with remarkably high support for Biden because of pandemic conditions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">But what still stands out beyond these trendlines is the steady support Democrats receive from these voters \u2014 whether because of the high level of college education among these constituents (a blue-coded trait in the Trump era), the geographic location of these voters (primarily in Democratic states like New York and California), or the socially liberal beliefs many of these voters hold (Jews historically <a href=\"https:\/\/forward.com\/opinion\/393168\/why-are-jews-so-pro-choice\/\">support abortion rights<\/a>, for example).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">Even heading into 2026, Democrats still hold overwhelmingly strong support from these voters, Jim Gerstein, a founding partner of the polling firm GBAO, told me.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">\u201cWhat\u2019s remarkable is actually how consistent Jewish voting behavior and political beliefs and values have been for years and still through today,\u201d Gerstein said. \u201cYou have these massive developments in domestic, international, political events, actual things that happen in the real world, and the Jewish vote is just remarkably stable.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">Entering 2026, Gerstein argues, two dynamics remain at play that are preserving their Democratic lean. The long-held liberal ideological bent of Jewish Americans, along with the issues they prioritize, broadly align with the Democratic Party. And, on the other end, their antipathy to Trump and the Republican party is \u201cintense,\u201d a force that pushes these voters <em>away<\/em> from the GOP, even if there were broader reasons to realign.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">\u201cNot only do they identify with the Democrats, they share positions on the major issues, shared values,\u201d Gerstein said. \u201cAnd they also have a strong opposition to the Republican Party and leading Republican figures.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">These dynamics also reveal themselves when looking at various denominations within the Jewish electorate. The largest segments \u2014 nondenominational, Reform, and Conservative Jews \u2014 lean heavily Democratic and have remained more or less steadily Democratic over the last few years. A smaller segment, Orthodox Jews \u2014 who make up about a tenth of the Jewish population but are <a href=\"https:\/\/insights.som.yale.edu\/insights\/the-american-jewish-community-will-look-different-in-50-years\">growing<\/a> \u2014 lean toward Republicans, are more strongly supportive of Trump and Israel, and have been shifting right over the last five years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">\u201cThe Orthodox population is in its own political world relative to the rest of the Jewish population,\u201d Gerstein said. \u201cTo the extent there\u2019s any shifting [broadly], there\u2019s been some shifting among Orthodox to make them even more Republican. That is offset by the fact that the Reform population is much larger. They are extraordinarily Democratic, and if anything, are moving a little bit more Democratic.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p><h2 class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup\">How Jewish American voters are feeling about 2026<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">Polls of Jewish voters this year suggests these dynamics are largely baked into the electorate at this point. A national AP-NORC survey of voters, with an <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/american-jews-poll-israel-trump-antisemitism-7c5cf25033917f17a93e14f184cf1320\">oversampling of Jewish Americans<\/a>, in June found that Jewish adults\u2019 approval of how Trump is handling his job is nearly 10 points lower than among all American adults generally.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">\u201cWe see that same pattern on most of the issues that we asked about, such as the economy, immigration, and Iran,\u201d Emily Alvarez, a senior research scientist at NORC, told me. \u201cBut when it comes to his handling of Israel, they\u2019re actually slightly more likely than the general public to approve. It\u2019s a very small difference, but it is a difference, and it\u2019s kind of a reversal of that trend that we saw with the other issues.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">NORC\u2019s polling also suggests that domestic, kitchen table issues continue to be the dominant priorities of these voters generally. More than 80 percent of Jewish adults say the economy and healthcare are top priorities for them this year. About 56 and 66 percent say Israel or foreign policy are important concerns.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">This June finding roughly matches the priorities that two other pollsters identified this year. The Mellman Group\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jewishelectorateinstitute.org\/jei-s-spring-2026-latest-poll\">polling for the Jewish Electorate Institute<\/a> from March found that Jewish voters largely say Democrats are better aligned with their views on abortion rights, healthcare, fair elections, and supporting the middle class.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">And polling from <a href=\"https:\/\/jewishvoters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/JVRC-Survey-Analysis-051926-1.pdf\">GBAO on behalf of the Jewish Voters Resource Center in the spring<\/a> found that the future of democracy (37 percent) and the cost of living\/affordability (32 percent) are the top two issue priorities of Jewish voters, broadly speaking. Concerns over antisemitism round out the top three (25 percent).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">Fear of discrimination and antisemitism is the biggest unifying concern for Jewish adults. When GBAO asked respondents about dealbreaker issues, 20 percent cited antisemitism as being their red line for supporting a candidate. And AP-NORC\u2019s polling found that 62 percent of Jewish adults feel they are less safe than before October 7.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">And while Jewish voters tend to be more aligned with Democrats on issues, the polling also found they remain wary of partisan politics \u2014 a common trait among many demographics in recent cycles.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">\u201cJewish Americans really feel a sense of political dissatisfaction. They don\u2019t feel particularly well supported by either political party. Very few say Democrats or Republicans support them well,\u201d Alvarez said. \u201cRepublicans tend to feel a lot better supported by Republicans, and then they feel really supported by President Trump, but then far fewer Democrats feel the same way about their own party or about the president.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">It\u2019s hard to disentangle the effect of the Israel-Gaza war from the current political environment for Jewish voters.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">Sam Markstein, the political director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, told me that October 7 was a defining moment for many Jewish voters who had preexisting misgivings about the Democratic Party. Changing political and public opinion on Israel and acts of violence against Jewish people and at places of worship, as well as shifts among Democrats and the left\u2019s broader tension with AIPAC, suddenly made safety and antisemitism more pressing issues.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">\u201cAfter October 7, American Jews focused a lot more on their safety,\u201d Markstein told me. \u201cThe main questions we heard, time and time, was who would best keep us safe, who would stand up for our students on the college campus quad, who would make us feel better about walking with our young kids to shul on Saturday morning, who would actually stand with the Jewish community and empower us to wear our Stars of David in public and not have to hide it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">While concerns about antisemitism are widespread, views on Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict itself are nuanced, particularly among Jewish Democrats, various pollsters told me.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">AP-NORC\u2019s polling, for example, found that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was broadly disliked by American Jews, with six-in-10 adults expressing unfavorable views. By contrast, Mamdani, the New York City mayor who recently explored arresting Netanyahu, was viewed favorably by 44 percent of Jews, with 39 percent expressing an unfavorable view. 30 percent of Jews said they believed Israel had committed genocide in its war in Gaza, while 49 percent said it had not.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">One important wrinkle that\u2019s often divided Israel critics is the context of that criticism. Many Jews are concerned about Israel\u2019s security and direction and hope to see a new government with a stronger commitment to forging peace with Palestinians and neighboring states. Michael Bloomfield, a lead pollster and managing director for the Mellman Group, told me that \u201cwhat often gets forgotten is that almost all American Jews, 86 percent, consider themselves pro-Israel,\u201d including a similar share of Jewish Democrats.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">But a rising segment of the left \u2014 including candidates <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/07\/07\/politics\/israel-democrats-antisemitism-concerns\">like Abdul El-Sayed<\/a> \u2014 often describe Israel\u2019s founding vision of a homeland for Jews as inherently oppressive and sometimes calls for replacing the country with a secular and binational Arab-Jewish state. By contrast, New York\u2019s Brad Lander, also on the left, describes himself as a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/23954323\/the-return-of-liberal-zionism\">liberal Zionist<\/a>\u201d who wants a peaceful two-state solution that preserves Israel\u2019s existence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">Polling this year, sponsored by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jewishelectorateinstitute.org\/u-s-jews-identify-as-both-pro-israel-critical-of-its-govt\">the Jewish Electorate Institute<\/a>, found that, while many Jewish Democrats are critical of Israeli government policies and the US partnership with Israel in the war in Iran, they are still strongly supportive of Israel as a state.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">Overall, nearly nine in 10 American Jews describe themselves as pro-Israel, they found, but only about a quarter, 23 percent, consider themselves both pro-Israel and supportive of Israeli government policies. Six in 10 are pro-Israel and critical, half of whom are critical of \u201csome\u201d and another half who are critical of \u201cmany\u201d policies. That broadly aligns with partisan identification. While 84 perfect of Jewish Democrats are \u201cpro-Israel,\u201d 73 percent of them are critical of Israeli policies. Republicans, a smaller share overall, are less likely to be critical.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">There are also differences based on religious and cultural identity within the Jewish electorate, apparent in the NORC polling. Jews with a religious affiliation or strong attachment to Israel as part of their religious identity tend to be more supportive of Israel\u2019s actions than secular Jews. About half of those with religious affiliation say the Gaza military campaign is justified, while a quarter believe Israel has committed genocide, compared to about two in 10 secular Jews who say the Gaza campaign is justified, and 4 in 10 who agree with the genocide charge. Three-quarters of that cohort say they are \u201cnot too\u201d or \u201cnot at all\u201d emotionally attached to Israel.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">While concerns about antisemitism are rising, there\u2019s room for nuance, Bloomfield told me.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">\u201cThere is a policy debate about how much aid Israel should get, there\u2019s a policy debate about where our relationship should be,\u201d Bloomfield told me. \u201cThat is different than the worry when it gets to antisemitism and feeling uncomfortable in the Democratic Party.\u201d The Mellman poll for JEI found that a majority of American Jews agree with the statement that \u201ctoo many supporters of Israel claim any criticism of Israel is antisemitism as a way to avoid legitimate debate over Israeli policy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">Nearly half of Jewish Republicans (47 percent) agree with that, along with 59 percent of Democrats. At the same time, 83 percent of Jewish Americans agree that \u201ctoo many critics of Israel use tropes and generalizations about Jews to play into antisemitism, whether they mean to or not.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">Those nuanced views speak to the moment of uncertainty that many Jewish Democrats feel right now, he said. Israel, and the US relationship with it, does not dominate their vote choice or decision-making, but the way the party\u2019s rising leaders, activist class, and press talk about it may become a bigger pressure point later this cycle. In the latest Mellman\/JEI polling, few Jews say they\u2019ve been following the discourse and debate over AIPAC and other pro-Israel groups\u2019 spending in primary contests. Some 62 percent of all Jews say they have not heard much \u2014 including a majority of Jewish Democrats.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">That number has likely gone up since then, given high-profile contests like Michigan\u2019s Senate primary this month, which featured <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/politics\/496229\/michigan-senate-abdul-el-sayed-haley-stevens\">extensive arguments<\/a> about pro-Israel spending and whether criticizing them shaded into antisemitism. And the salience of these debates may change in either direction depending on the news. Democrats could <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/politics\/498295\/israel-aid-el-sayed-block-the-bombs-democrats\">pursue a more aggressive policy<\/a> to pressure Israel if they win the House, for example, or Israel might find room for a reset if Netanyahu <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/politics\/486340\/netanyahu-reelection-2026-trump-orban-magyar\">loses his premiership<\/a> later this year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">\u201cThere are cross currents and Jews can feel both ways at the same time,\u201d Bloomfield said. \u201cWe ourselves can be concerned where people use antisemitism as cries as a way to get out of legitimate debate. On the other hand, there\u2019s even more of us concerned that a lot of what is being debated by Israel often does veer too quickly into something that\u2019s antisemitism. We can have both feelings at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There\u2019s a lot of discussion about Jewish voters in politics this cycle. With Democrats embroiled in loud arguments over Israel and Gaza, Republicans have been hoping to capture more of the Jewish vote by linking criticism of Israel to antisemitism. \u201cHow a Jewish person can vote for a Democrat is beyond me,\u201d President Donald Trump&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44685,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/gettyimages-2281612959.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C12.090288207563%2C86.35234375%2C60.280881918208&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-political-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44684","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44684"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44684\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/44685"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}