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Poll: US Jewish community to vote overwhelmingly Democratic in midterms

More than 70 percent of Jewish voter in the United States do not approve of how Trump has dealt with anti-Semitism.

California Rep. Nancy Pelosi speaks at the Jewish Democratic Council of America's launch reception in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 8, 2017. Credit: Screenshot.
California Rep. Nancy Pelosi speaks at the Jewish Democratic Council of America’s launch reception in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 8, 2017. Credit: Screenshot.

A poll released on Wednesday found that an overwhelming majority of Jewish voters are expected to cast their ballots for Democrats in the midterms next month, despite the increasing number of Democratic candidates, such as New York’s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Virginia’s Leslie Cockburn and Michigan’s Rashida Tlaib, who have gone on the record with anti-Israel sentiment.

Additionally, Jewish voters see the Democratic Party as pro-Israel, and prioritize domestic and foreign-policy matters when considering which candidates to vote for.

Commissioned by the nonprofit Jewish Electorate Institute and conducted by the political strategy organization the Mellman Group, the national survey of 800 likely Jewish voters found that 68 percent of them identify as Democrats, 74 percent of whom will support Democratic congressional candidates. Some 76 percent of them have an unfavorable view of U.S. President Donald Trump; more than 70 percent of these voters do not approve of how Trump has dealt with anti-Semitism, the Iran nuclear deal, the two most recent Supreme Court nominations and other headlining issues.

Moreover, 74 percent of Jewish voters said they will vote for a Democratic candidate, while just 26 percent of them will vote for Trump. In the 2016 election, 71 percent of Jewish voters supported Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, while only 24 percent of them voted for Trump.

Regarding Trump’s views on Israel, 51 percent of Jewish voters approve, while 49 percent do not. This includes 62 percent of such voters disapproving of U.S. relations with the Palestinians, and 56 percent opposed to the president moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

“Some people would say they were slightly provoked because we took a strong action for a different reason, so they were reciprocating,” the president told reporters. “In that part of the world, ‘ceasefire’ is when you’re shooting in a more moderate manner.”
Tali Klima of the Bay Area Jewish Coalition-Action told JNS that “we will continue to support any candidate who supports the Jewish community and stands up to the extremism that Khanna is intent on spreading.”
“When individuals within the Jewish community are attacked for the purpose of spreading fear,” Richard Robertson of B’nai Brith Canada told JNS, “that is an act of terrorism.”
“Anyone performing this role of such immense public trust must have the extensive national security experience required by statute, and no nominee who falls short of this requirement will earn my vote,” Sen. Mitch McConnell stated.
The California Democrat told JNS that he’s “proud” of his pro-Israel record and is “gratified to be moving to the general.”
Adam Hamawy’s “analogy of Immigration and Customs Enforcement federal employees enforcing U.S. laws to Nazis who intentionally murdered millions of Jews is painful, ludicrous and odious,” Morton Klein of the Zionist Organization of America told JNS.