Democratic politicians are kickstarting an effort to turn out progressive Jewish voters for Kamala Harris.
Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker are among at least a dozen lawmakers who will headline an Aug. 19 launch event for an advocacy group seeking to engage progressive, pro-Israel voters, according to a spokesperson.
Called the Zioness Action Fund, the group was formed by a coalition of Jewish activists and bills itself as "pro-choice, pro-diversity, pro-LGBTQ, pro-democracy, pro-freedom." The event will take place in Chicago on the sidelines of the Democratic National Convention.
The Harris campaign also is taking steps to bolster its support: On Monday, it named Ilan Goldenberg director of Jewish outreach, according to a campaign aide. Goldenberg, a Jerusalem-born foreign policy analyst who's been a senior adviser on the Middle East at the National Security Council, will serve as the vice president's main liaison with Jewish community leaders.
Democrats are trying to win support from a traditionally left-leaning group of voters who have been disheartened by a rise in antisemitic incidents and backlash from pro-Palestinian protesters campaigning against the Israel-Gaza war. The conflict has exposed a rift within the party, even as President Joe Biden and Congressional leadership have mostly supported Israel's efforts to root out Hamas in Gaza since the group's terror attack on Oct. 7.
Zioness joins the likes of Jewish Democratic Council of America in campaigning to drive turnout for Harris and other congressional candidates. The groups plan to host educational events and contact Jews in battleground states through two million texts, calls and other messages as part of the effort.
"I disagree with this idea that our party is somehow associated with anything other than being strongly pro-Israel," Halie Soifer, who leads JDCA, said in an interview. Soifer worked as a national security adviser to Harris from 2017 while she was a senator.
Reliable supporters
JDCA, founded in 2017, will also hold a series of events featuring lawmakers including Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland, New York Representative Jerry Nadler and Maryland's Jamie Raskin. The group last month released an ad targeting Jewish voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Jews have been reliable supporters of Democratic candidates for decades but some Republicans have seen an opening to lure voters after the Gaza protests, most prominently on college campuses.
A poll conducted by the American Jewish Committee in March and April found 68% of Jewish adults characterized their political views as "Democrat/lean Democrat." At the same time, 45% of respondents said they felt more connected with Israel since Oct. 7, something that conservative commentators suggest could fuel new interest in the Republican Party.
More recently, Republicans painted Harris' decision to tap Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate rather than Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who is Jewish, as an overture to anti-Israel or antisemitic constituents in the party. JD Vance, the GOP vice presidential nominee, said last week that Harris "bent the knee to the Hamas caucus of the Democratic Party" by picking Walz. House Speaker Mike Johnson told The Hill last week that Shapiro's Judaism was "the reason he was overlooked."
An aide to the campaign told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency last week that claims Shapiro wasn't selected based on his religion and views on Israel are "ridiculous and offensive." The governor remains a staunch supporter of Harris and appeared at a Philadelphia rally with her and Walz after she made the vice presidential pick. Harris' husband, Doug Emhoff, is Jewish.
Senators set to attend the coming DNC events have long been vocal supporters of Israel. Booker was in the country during the attacks, Fetterman met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in June on a visit to Israel, and Cardin has reportedly signed off on major arm sales. Booker was also among 25 senators to sign a February letter calling for Biden to alleviate suffering in Gaza.
The Zioness event will also include Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, North Carolina Representative Kathy Manning, Representative Shontel Brown of Ohio and Mondaire Jones, who's seeking to unseat Republican Representative Mike Lawler in New York.
Meanwhile, organizers from pro-Palestinian groups say they plan to attract tens of thousands of people to protest near the convention next week. A small group of demonstrators briefly interrupted the vice president at a speech in Detroit last week.
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