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American Vote Shifts from Party Line to Candidate Position on Israel

Israeli Election: A record number of Israelis living abroad have returned to Israel to participate in this high-profile election as absentee voting, common in U.S. elections, is not an available option. As this edition was being published, polls in Israel were closing. Reports reflect historically high voter turnout for both Jewish and Arab Israelis. As of 8:00 pm IST 74.3% had voted – 8% higher than in previous elections and the highest figure since 1988.

The cost of living and allegations of government corruption are top concerns for both Democrat and Republican voters heading into U.S. Congressional midterm elections on Nov. 3. American Jewish voters share those concerns, but they also are torn between party loyalty and the dividing lines made by extreme candidates with strong positions on Israel and the conflict with Iran. Anti-Jewish hate is yet another major concern for them at the polls.

These fears are reinforced when political candidates invoke stereotypes and tropes in their campaign ads and speeches. Many American Jews are anxious about how the election results will affect their personal lives, the Jewish community and America’s future.

Issues that affect Jews and Israel even appear in races for city councils, school boards and county clerks. They decide what is taught in classrooms, how a community is policed and how an election is run. These local races are where many officials start on a path that leads to state houses and Congress.

Jews Historically Scapegoated in Political Campaigns

Blaming Jews for a nation’s troubles has been a standard American political practice – fueling campaigns for more than a century. This trend has only accelerated, particularly since Oct. 7 with an unprecedented wave of hatred and violence against Jews and Israel.

A political action committee released a campaign ad in support of Michigan’s Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a Muslim. The Michigan campaign ad blamed the cost of living on Israel’s influence on the American economy – an antisemitic tactic that goes back centuries, most notably with the rise of the Nazi party, later embodied in Soviet propaganda, and even in the U.S. 

The ad shows a woman telling her husband they cannot afford to buy eggs and bananas because their money is being spent killing Palestinians. The cost of bananas has plummeted over the past 40 years, but this did not stop antizionist opportunists from manufacturing and promoting anti-Jewish propaganda. When an activist announced the ad on social media, he blamed American suffering on Israel “buying politicians.” El-Sayed’s campaign distanced itself from the ad but did not condemn it.

A similar accusation ran through a Republican primary in Kentucky. U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie accused the Republican Jewish Coalition of running his opponent as a “puppet.” He told a rally days before losing his seat in May that “they gave me the number to call to concede. The area code is Tel Aviv.” A PAC aligned with his campaign ran an attack ad picturing Jewish donor Paul Singer behind a large, rainbow-colored Star of David.

Candidates peddling antisemitic tropes reach a large audience that support their views. Nearly a third of Americans say Jews have too much influence in politics and media – 30% of Democrats and 28% of Republicans – according to an Anti-Defamation League survey from last year.

AIPAC Becomes the Common Enemy

Some Democratic and Republican candidates are telling voters that AIPAC buys Congress. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee is an American organization that works with both parties to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship and backs candidates who support it. AIPAC recently announced an end to candidate endorsements and PAC contributions to allies, citing a new strategy to “fight for the future of the country and the U.S.-Israel alliance.” Antizionists on both sides falsely describe it as a foreign hand in American government.

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani called AIPAC “monsters” who “move millions in dark money” to preserve their own power, speaking at a Democratic Socialists of America rally in Brooklyn earlier this year. In Ohio, at least 10 candidates from multiple parties attended a conference billing itself as “the first bipartisan event uniting America First candidates and influencers opposed to AIPAC, endless wars and the Epstein cover-up.”

Both Parties Push Back

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz remarked that antisemitism on the right is worse than at any point in his lifetime. “The Groyper problem is real,” he said, naming the followers of white nationalist Nick Fuentes. Cruz described how young job applicants to his office now object to his support for Israel.

U.S. Sen. John Fetterman drew his line in the Democratic Party, telling a Washington, DC, summit that “if our party ever officially becomes the anti-Israel party, that’s when I would leave.” He called his support for Israel a position of “moral clarity.”

Polarization in both parties on Israel and Iran

Never in U.S. history have voters in both political parties been so strongly opinionated and divided over their views on Israeli policies and the war with Iran. Americans can no longer afford to vote along party lines without doing their research before Election Day on individual candidates and the values that drive their campaigns. Even state and local candidates have taken extreme positions on these issues – highlighting the importance of international issues to domestic voters.

1. The First Amendment gives Americans a voice – voting gives it weight

The First Amendment guarantees every American the right to speak, worship, assemble and petition the government. Those rights do not enforce themselves. The people elected on Nov. 3 write the laws, set the budgets and appoint the officials who decide how those freedoms hold up in practice. Americans are electing the entire U.S. House, a third of the Senate, governors, state legislators and thousands of local offices.

2. A party label no longer tells you where a candidate stands

Candidates who share a party do not necessarily share a policy or even the same values. Some have condemned anti-Jewish hate inside their own party while distressingly, others have promoted the people spreading it. The only way to know is to research what each candidate has said and done – campaign ads, press statements, social media posts and the company they keep. A straight party-line vote does not ensure shared views on important policies, like antisemitism or Israel.

3. Congress decides how America defends itself and stands with Israel

U.S. Senators and Representatives determine funding priorities for national defense, international aid and foreign policy. Foreign policy trails healthcare, education and immigration as a voting issue, but it has been thrust into the national spotlight by public opinion about Israeli government policies and the war with Iran. Defense support for Israel has become a partisan issue within both Republican and Democratic parties.

4. Each party must confront the extremists inside its own ranks

Condemning the other party’s extremists costs a candidate nothing. Confronting their own can cost votes, donors and staff. Antisemitism takes hold in a political party when the mainstream treats it as someone else’s problem. Anti-Jewish hate shows no loyalty to any one party – it can put down roots anywhere and spread rapidly.

5. Local offices make the decisions that can impact daily Jewish life

School board policies determine what curriculum children are taught about Jewish history and Israel, state and city governments are responsible for ensuring the safety of places of worship. These offices set curriculum and staff security patrols – and they often draw the least attention on a ballot.

Find out where candidates stand: Read what each one has said about antisemitism and about Israel – campaign ads, press statements, social media posts, and the podcasts and rallies where they choose to appear. Many local Jewish Federations and Jewish Community Relations Councils publish nonpartisan voter guides. If you cannot find an answer, contact the campaign office directly.

Read your sample ballot before Election Day: Too many voters see the names at the bottom of the ballot for the first time in the voting booth. Pull your sample ballot from your county election office and look up every candidate using sites like Ballotpedia. School board, city and town councils and judicial candidates take the most time to research – and they are the ones with the most direct impact on your community.

Report and challenge antisemitism when you see, read or hear it: Election-season antisemitism is often subtle and rarely mentions Jews. This enables it to slip easily into group chats, social feeds or meetings. Call out statements that target Jews and Israel, even indirectly – regardless of which candidate said it or how you intend to vote. Antisemitic campaign material should be reported to local and national Jewish organizations. Voters should ask their own candidates to denounce antisemitism before Election Day – and withhold support from those who refuse to speak up and take action.

Comments from American Zionist Movement President Mark Levenson and national board chair Shoshana Dweck – making the case that American Zionists can disagree about Israel’s political future without turning that disagreement into a test of who belongs.

Israel’s election Must Unify American Zionists

“When Israelis go to the polls, they will make electoral decisions that belong to them alone. Millions of us will follow closely across the Jewish world, knowing that the outcome will resonate far beyond Israel’s borders. For American Zionists, this election also poses a question about ourselves. Can we remain united in our commitment to Israel even when we disagree about its political future? Our answer must be a resounding yes.

“We come from different places on Israel’s political spectrum. We do not agree on everything. That is not a weakness to overcome. It reflects the diversity of the Jewish People that has been our hallmark across the generations and it is our strength.

“Our differences become destructive when we turn them into tests of whether someone else belongs in the Zionist movement. A person who supports a different Israeli party does not thereby care less about Israel. Someone who questions a government policy does not by virtue of that challenge reject Zionism. Nor should someone who defends that policy be dismissed as indifferent to Israel’s democratic future.

“Unity does not require anyone to surrender convictions. It requires us to recognize that our common responsibilities endure through disagreement. Some American Zionists will welcome the election’s outcome. Others will be disappointed or concerned. All of us should stay engaged and keep listening to one another. That is what Zionist unity truly looks like in action.”

Israeli Election Coverage

These guides explain the parties, the electoral threshold and how a governing coalition is assembled.

• Israeli Election Questionnaire – rate 36 statements to see which parties match your views
• Jewish News Syndicate (JNS)
• Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
• The Media Line
• Times of Israel
• Unpacked

Israelis Abroad Fly in to Cast Vote

Israel has no absentee voting. Apart from Israeli officials and their families posted abroad, and soldiers serving outside the country, every citizen must be physically present at a polling station in Israel to cast a ballot. About 810,000 Israelis of voting age live overseas, according to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics. Fly&Vote encouraged voters to make the trip. The U.S.-based, non-partisan initiative made an early prediction that about 67,000 would fly in for the Oct. 27 election.

Stories of Resilience

• St. Louis Blues owner condemns antisemitic banners and confirms protesters ejected, saying they will never be allowed in the building
• NYC restaurants stand up to antizionist bullies
• Chabad to hold 250 menorah lightings in all 50 states for America’s 250th
• Israeli inventions land on TIME list of 300 best inventions
• Dutch Christians restore Gaza border synagogue for newcomers

Stories Impacting American Jews

• NY’s Stuyvesant High School’s YDSA club co-signs “Intifada until victory”
• House Education Committee finds systemic antisemitism in Philadelphia, Berkeley K-12 schools
• Philadelphia to overhaul curriculum amid U.S. Congressional antisemitism probe
• New report exposes CAIR’s influence on K-12 education
• Federal civil rights complaint accuses Montgomery County, MD, schools of ignoring antisemitic harassment
• Woman arrested in stabbing of Manhattan rabbi, linked to second suspected antisemitic attack
• Utah man indicted for threatening to blow up synagogue

Stories Impacting the U.S. and Israel

• Council for a Secure America report finds 46% of Syrians support normalization with Israel, 57% expect peace
• Iran is tanking peace talks to hurt Trump at the polls, regime officials admit
• Netanyahu says U.S. and Israel must topple the Iranian regime
• Vance declines to endorse Netanyahu the day after Trump backs him

Stories from Around the World

• French student rioters sing jihadi rap glorifying Islamist mass murderers
• Pro-Palestinian network helping fuel France’s riots
• Britain adopts sweeping measures against antisemitism in schools
• Board of Deputies of British Jews formally declares Green Party has become racist party after antizionist policy

The Focus Project develops and distributes news, background, history and weekly talking points on timely issues to inform individuals and organizations about issues affecting the American Jewish community and Israel, and help readers speak with more consistency and clarity. The editions also provide potential responses for addressing incidents of antisemitism and anti-Zionism. With input from a spectrum of major American Jewish organizations, we focus on that which unites us, rising above political and individual agendas.



Recognizing that hatred of Jews comes in many forms and directions, we strive to address all sources as they arise, and educate our growing audience on topics ranging from inter-religious relations to relevant international developments. From week to week, we may focus on issues arising from the political left, university campuses, from the political right and from institutions, government, and corporations. We don’t try to address all issues in each edition. We hope you will find this information useful in your writing and/or speaking. We are always open to your feedback: info@focus-project.org.

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