Democratic Majority for Israel
A few of the candidates running against DMFI endorsed candidates have taken positions openly critical of Israel and in favor of BDS.
Zev Yaroslavsky at UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs said it’s become more of a horse race between candidates Gavin Newsom and Larry Elder, and less about Newsom’s actual job performance these past 18 months as the coronavirus has raged through the state.
The election was seen by Jewish groups on where the voters stand on their support for Israel, with Nina Turner’s alliance with “The Squad,” and previous actions and tweets that were critical of Israel, causing concern among some pro-Israel groups.
Two leading candidates—Nina Turner and Shontel Brown—have staked out vastly differing views on Israel, with pro-Israel groups throwing their weight behind Brown while deriding Turner’s hostility towards Israel and support from “The Squad.”
Ohio 11th Congressional District candidate Nina Turner faces criticism for not supporting those in the Democratic Party.
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said a “strong U.S.-Israel relationship benefits both countries, is a core strategic asset for Israel, and requires a bipartisan approach, working with both Democrats and Republicans.”
In a now-deleted tweet, the Democratic Majority for Israel wrote that Nancy Kaufman, the former head of the National Council for Jewish Women, has too often “enabled, rather than battled, anti-Semitism.”
American Jewish groups from both sides of the aisle have invested heavily in the Jan. 5 runoffs, as they see stark differences on the candidates’ policies on topics such as the U.S.-Israel relationship, the Iran nuclear deal, anti-Semitism and more.
Despite pandemic, pro-Israel political groups see success in campaigning ahead of November elections
“We’ve seen a dramatic spike in the percentage of voters we’re able to directly connect with, compared to pre-COVID circumstances, which makes these modes of grassroots outreach even more valuable,” Republican Jewish Coalition spokesperson Neil Strauss told JNS.
“As senator and vice president, Joe Biden has proven he will fight for Democrats’ broad vision for America, including a strong U.S.-Israel relationship,” said DMFI PAC president Mark Mellman.
“We know a lot of our champions being threatened around the country, and we know some of those races are going to be serious races,” said the group’s CEO and president, Mark Mellman.
One of the organization’s co-chairs, veteran Democratic strategist Ann Lewis, said anti-Israel Democrats, including freshmen Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, are “dominating the press, the media. And they aren’t going to be able to get anything done.”
