By Arthur Solomon
When Al Smith ran for president in 1928 American Jews began voting strongly for Democratic presidential candidates. Their vote was cemented during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s four terms as president.
Since then a majority of Jewish voters have supported the Democratic nominee in all but one presidential election, when Jimmy Carter only received 45 percent in 1980. Carter is the only Democratic candidate since 1928 not to win a Jewish majority, mainly because of his mid-East policies, although in his successful first campaign, when his policies were not that clear, he received over 70 percent of the Jewish vote.
Democratic leaders are fearful that the anti-Israel sentiment, exacerbated by the anti-Semitic statements of democratic socialists of America (DSA) members and their far-left supporters, could result in a scenario in the 2026 mid-terms and 2028 presidential elections that will have many “sure thing” Jewish voters casting a vote for GOP candidates who oppose DSA and other far-left Democratic candidates.
That possibility has raised red flags among some Democratic politicians and Democratic-leaning organizations.
Matt Bennett, a co-founder of Third Way, the centrist left Democratic think tank that supports moderate policies, said, “We’ve got to figure out a way so it doesn’t blow the party apart, referring to the DSA primary victories. Mr. Bennett described a Democratic “freak-out” following the results over whether the rise of hard-left candidates would repel Jewish and moderate voters.
The election of DSA members has so alarmed Third Way that it is bankrolling a $15 million effort to target the DSA, which they believe poses a "mortal danger" for Democrats. But it's not only the danger of losing Jewish voters that confronts the Democratic Party as we near the midterm elections. There's also the possibility of the party fragmenting between its far-left factions and traditional liberal Democrats.
Scott Stringer, the former Democratic New York City comptroller, told the New York Times (NYT) some of the comments from far-left candidates amount to "blanket antisemitism."
Mr. Stringer was quoted in the paper's June 30 edition: “If there is a group of people who may be having temporary electoral success who believe the path forward is to use antisemitism as a wedge, then there’s going to be a battle within the Democratic Party.”
Listening to spokespersons on the political TV cable shows and reading opinion articles and editorials in major newspapers like the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and NYT shows that Republican politicians and conservative columnists have been much more out spoken than Democratic ones in publicly condemning the DSA and other groups that disseminate anti-Semitic tropes. Republicans have also been much more supportive of Israel in their statements. Thus, it would only be natural for many Jewish voters to switch their party loyalty from Democratic to a more welcoming Republican Party.
That’s a problem that Democratic Party leaders must address before the midterm elections, because in a tight election, if only a small percentage of Jewish voters stay home on election day, or vote for GOP candidates running against democratic socialists of America ones (which is a distinct possibility), the number of Democrats elected to the House and Senate might not be enough to wrest control from the Republicans.
While the Jewish vote comprises only about two percent of the electorate, they are a sought after vote because they consistently surpass other groups voting on Election Day, sometime by as much as 20 percent. Thus, in a close election, Jewish votes can be the difference in local and state elections, which can decide the Electoral College winner.
The threat of Jewish voters abandoning the Democrat Party has alarmed Democratic leadership in general, and Dr. El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan specifically, who while not a member of the DSA supports many of their policies and is supported by the socialist group.
The NYT reported, in part, on August 29 that Dr. El-Sayed, “apologized to a group of Jewish Democrats on Saturday for a statement he made in March about an attack on a synagogue near Detroit, saying that “nobody deserves to have their pain trampled on.”
“I made a mistake,” said Dr. El-Sayed… I should have issued a statement, of course condemning it, and it just should have been the full stop.”
But cynics like I am, from time-to-time, believe that the initial statement an individual makes shows the person’s true feelings. And I’m willing to bet 1000 acres of my 1001 acre farm that many voters, Jewish and non-Jewish, feel the same.
Another NYT September 18 article detailed the problem Dr. El-Sayed faces with Jewish voters. The article reported that Michigan has roughly 130,000 Jewish residents. More than 475 people thus far have signed a letter saying they are Jewish Democrats and independents who plan to vote for Mike Rogers, the Republican candidate, because they feel “threatened and alienated by the politics and allies” of Dr. El-Sayed. That’s a significant number considering that most people don’t sign political petitions and in a squeaker of an election could determine who wins.
Even though the Jewish vote in Michigan has been overwhelmingly Democratic in recent elections, Dr. El-Sayed’s saying the Israeli government is “evil” and accusing it of committing “genocide” in Gaza is a problem for many Jewish voters and Mr. Rogers is appealing to them emphasizing his pro-Israel voting record while a Congressman.
(As of October 13 both The Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus and the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) have not endorsed Dr. El-Sayed, even though some Democratic officials have.)
The importance of the Jewish vote for Democrats was stated, in part, in a November 8, 2024, post by the JDCA. It said, “The Jewish vote held strong for Kamala Harris and Democrats. In fact, the Jewish vote represented one of very few segments of the electorate where Donald Trump failed to make meaningful inroads, despite an unprecedented campaign of GOP spending, disinformation, and other efforts targeting Jewish Americans. The post said that some exit polls indicated that that 78 percent of Jewish voters supported Kamala Harris, while 22 percent supported Donald Trump.
But that was prior to DSA candidates and their supporters winning elections and primaries.
There’s no doubt that the Democrats have a Jewish problem: It is caused mainly by the anti-Israel and anti-Semitic DSA politicians who have been elected running as Democrats, aided by pro-Palestinian media outlets. The only way Democratic leadership can solve it is by speaking out against the anti-Semitic tropes and actions of elected DSA politicians who caucus with traditional liberal and moderate Democrats.
Perhaps Wall Street Journal columnist William McGurn, on July 14, said it best in a column titled, “Schumer’s Tragedy – and Ours.”
The article said, in part, “Chuck Schumer became the first Jewish Senate majority leader in 2021…Mr. Schumer as minority leader is still the highest-ranking Jew in U.S.elective office. But increasingly his greatest triumph is starting to look like his greatest tragedy.”
“Not because he changed. Because his party did."
As a Jewish-American Army veteran, who has always had left of center political leanings and has always been a supporter of Americans For Democratic Action policies, I don’t have to wrestle with my conscience about voting for a Republican against a DSA candidate.
The House member representing my district has successfully spoken out against a DSA endorsed candidate when he was elected in 2024, and has condemned their anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli remarks.
But many Jewish-American voters live in a district in which a DSA candidate is running on the Democratic line. Their choice won’t be so easy.
In addition to possibly driving Jewish voters into the arms of the Republican Party, some in the midterms and more in the 2028 presidential election, the elected DSA Congressional winners pose another problem for the Democratic Party leadership. Because of the policy differences they have with the traditional Democrats, they can make it extremely difficult for the party to legislate effectively if the Democrats win control of the House in November. That would play right into the hands of the 2028 MAGA presidential candidate. And a Donald Trump 2- like-president is frightening to think of.
On Sept. 15, the Trump administration announced a military aid arms package for Israel, which included 2,000-pound bombs. But Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks, ranking member of House Foreign Affairs Committee, spoke out against the deal, because it included the 2000-pound bombs. Certainly, his doing so plays into the hands of Republican candidates who will position it as proof that the Democratic Party has become an anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian champion.
In 2021 Dara Horn wrote a book titled, “People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present.”
But because of the constant criticism of Israel many supporters of the country believe that people only love Jews when they don’t fight back.
Arthur Solomon, a former journalist, was a senior VP/senior counselor at Burson-Marsteller during the days it was the leading international public relations agency. He was on the Seoul Peace Prize nominating committee. During his political agency days, he worked on local statewide and presidential campaigns.
About This Post
Original Author: I am the original author of this essay.
Original Publication: This piece was first originally submitted to the Daily Kos, the extreme liberal website, which didn't like it because of my opinions.
Slight revisions have been made to keep it current.