The Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) has announced preferences in more than 20 races for the Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, eschewing two of the party’s most vocal opponents of the Jewish state.
The JDCA endorsed George Latimer and Wesley Bell, the two candidates running against Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), respectively. This is the first time that the group has endorsed non-incumbent candidates.
Bowman has taken sustained criticism most recently when it was reported that he had labeled the reports of Hamas’s systematic use of sexual violence as a “lie” used for “propaganda.”
On Feb. 21, Bush posted on X: “As a survivor of rape, AIPAC’s tactic of exploiting rape is outright vile and appalling. Their playbook relies on bullying, lying, harassing, belittling & intimidation to try to manipulate the public & force those calling for a ceasefire into submission. It won’t stop us.”
Bowman and Bush have also accused Israel of engaging in a Palestinian genocide during the war to eradicate the Hamas terrorist organization from the Gaza Strip.
Other candidates named in Thursday’s announcement include the Senate races of Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas).
Allred has been questioned recently for a 2019 endorsement of Texas imam Omar Suleiman, an Islamist activist who has made antisemitic statements.
