Disaffected Jewish Democrats Could Shift the 2024 Election

What’s happening: American Jews alienated by the Democratic Party’s anti-Israel shift may have the power to shift local and national outcomes in November’s election.

• Context: Traditionally, about 70 percent of American Jews vote for Democrats. This has been true since the 1920s.

Why it matters: President Biden has been tailoring his Israel policy to cater to Michigan’s Muslim community — which is very anti-Israel — because they are large in number and reside in a crucial swing state. However, Muslims aren’t alone in their power to sway the election or use their votes to influence Biden.

The uprising: Rabbi Ammi Hirsch, whose synagogue is part of the liberal Reform movement, said “Do not take American Jews for granted.” He has spoken with “so many American Jews in the past few months who have surprised me with their anxiety about developments in the Democratic Party” regarding Israel.

The numbers: Jews have a significant presence in certain swing states. Approximately 300,000 Jews of voting age reside in Pennsylvania — a state Biden won by only 80,000 votes in 2020. Arizona is home to over 120,000 Jews — and Biden won there by only 10,000 votes.

More: The late Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman warned his party about these political consequences long ago. “We want to continue to support Democratic candidates, but you need to know that if you abandon Israel to garner the support of anti-Israel extremists within the Democratic Party, it will be difficult for us to support Democrats who are on the ballot this November,” he wrote in 2013.