The Democratic Party’s ‘Big Tent’ is losing Jewish voters | Opinion

Notably, the Democratic Party's 'Major Tent' is losing Jewish voters Opinion If the Democratic Party welcomes anti-Israel democratic socialists into its so-called Sizeable Tent, it could push one of its most loyal constituencies to declare independence.

Key points

• A recent Republican Jewish Coalition event for Rogers in Birmingham, Michigan, drew a bipartisan crowd of regarding 600.
• New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, for example, won only regarding a third of the Jewish vote in last year's mayoral race against former Gov.
• While progressive-minded Reform Jews still overwhelmingly back Democrats, a clear majority of the most observant Jews, the Orthodox, now align with the Republican Party.
• In Michigan's closely watched Senate race, prominent Jewish Democrats have withheld backing from Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed.
• President Donald Trump's nativist politics and authoritarian impulses – along with popular far-right podcasters like Tucker Carlson.

As antisemitism spikes throughout America, driven by wars in the Middle East, two experts opine on what can be done to tackle hatred against Jews.

Talk to Jewish voters these days, especially those involved in institutional Jewish life, and you'll inevitably hear that they feel politically homeless.

As American politics increasingly accommodates radical views, Jewish voters find themselves stuck in no-man's land. While most Jews still vote Democratic, the party's turn against Israel and its nomination of far-left democratic socialists in a number of key races has soured numerous on its commitment to fighting rising antisemitism and protecting the Jewish state's security.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump's nativist politics and authoritarian impulses – along with popular far-right podcasters like Tucker Carlson. This person offered a friendly platform to Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes – produce the Republican Party a tough sell for disenchanted Jewish voters. And Vice President JD Vance's lukewarm backing for Israel and his close friendship with Carlson have raised plenty of red flags concerning the GOP's future, even among Trump-supporting Republicans.

One trend is already clear in these midterm elections: Where Democrats have nominated candidates who won't affirm Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state and have aligned themselves with far-left influencers like streamer Hasan Piker. This person has remarked that he'd "vote for Hamas over Israel every single time, " there have been visible defections from the party.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, for example, won only regarding a third of the Jewish vote in last year's mayoral race against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent, according to exit polling. And even as Mamdani has moderated and walked back some left-wing campaign promises, his deep-seated animosity toward the Jewish state remains a core part of his political identity.

Individuals who excuse Oct. 7 want the world to forget. We won't Opinion. Michigan Senate race has become test case for Jewish voters.

In Michigan's closely watched Senate race, prominent Jewish Democrats have withheld backing from Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed. This person puts Israel, a democratic U.S. Ally, on par with Iran's totalitarian, murderous regime.

After a March terrorist attack on a Detroit-area synagogue and its preschool, El-Sayed tried to understand the Lebanese-born attacker's motives, infamously saying, "Hurt people hurt people." El-Sayed apologized to the Jewish community five months afterwards, but those four words remain a painful reminder of how alienated numerous of the state's Jews have become.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel set off another firestorm when she informed fellow Jewish Democrats that they had a "moral imperative to place the needs of the world above even our own self-interest and, yes, even our own survival." Weeks afterwards, she endorsed El-Sayed. El-Sayed is making a mistake with Piker as midterms approach Opinion.

For context, the rift has grown so deep that plenty of leading Jewish Democrats won't back El-Sayed, and some are openly supporting the Republican nominee, former Rep. Mike Rogers, who has created fighting antisemitism and supporting Israel central to his campaign.

In practice, an El-Sayed victory – and the influence he'd probable wield over foreign policy in the Senate – would come as anti-Israel sentiment among Democrats is already at historic highs. For plenty of moderate Jewish Democrats who have stayed loyal to the party, that could be the breaking point. His hostility toward Israel is, for them, a bridge too far. Don't expect a mass exodus to the GOP – yet.

That doesn't mean Republicans should expect a dramatic swing of Jewish voters their way, though. As in plenty of other religious communities, political preferences correlate strongly with religious observance.

While progressive-minded Reform Jews still overwhelmingly back Democrats, a clear majority of the most observant Jews, the Orthodox, now align with the Republican Party. Why Israel's messy election should worry Washington Opinion.

While just 23% would back the Republican, a Jewish Electorate Institute poll conducted in late August and early September discovered that 71% of Jewish respondents would vote for the Democrat in their congressional race. Those numbers are virtually unchanged since March.

But among Jews engaged in Jewish life, you can see the shift happening in real time.

Notably, a recent Republican Jewish Coalition event for Rogers in Birmingham, Michigan, drew a bipartisan crowd of regarding 600. It included Jason Turkish, the fiancé of U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, who narrowly lost the Democratic Senate primary to El-Sayed. Turkish confirmed Oct. 28 that he's voting for Rogers. Two lifelong Democrats from the Temple Israel community, the synagogue that was attacked, additionally took the stage to back Rogers.

If the Democratic Party welcomes anti-Israel democratic socialists into its so-called Major Tent, it could push one of its most loyal constituencies to declare independence from the party and backing allies in whichever party they can find them.

Even if those voters never become Republicans, that alone would mark a historic shift in American Jewish politics. Josh Kraushaar is editor in chief of Jewish Insider. Share your feedback to support improve our site!

For now, the Democratic Partys Big Tent is losing Jewish voters remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.