This interview is part of Moment’s Jewish Political Voices Project. To learn more about the project, click here. To see our other participants, click here. To see all posts from Nina, click here.
Age: 73
Occupation: Retired Nurse
Location: Deerfield Township, OH (Cincinnati suburbs)
Party Registration: Democratic
Jewish Denomination: Conservative
2020 Vote: Joe Biden
Current 2024 Vote: Kamala Harris
Family: Divorced, one daughter and one grandchild
News Sources: CNN, MSNBC, Punchbowl News, Axios, POLITICO, Sabato’s Crystal Ball
Who are you voting for and why?
I’m voting for Vice President Kamala Harris, because I think she’s going to be a good president, and she’s going to abide by the Constitution. And we cannot elect somebody like Trump with a mental illness. If Biden had stayed in the race, I guess I’d have had to vote for him. I’d have had no choice, but I would not have been happy about it. I’ll be happy to vote for Harris! I’m despondent that so many people in this country can look at Trump, this imbecile, and think that he should be the president of the United States.
What is your greatest hope if Harris is elected and greatest fear if she isn’t?
I hope that there’s some way that we can get something done on reproductive rights, get them restored. I know the countries of the world would respect Harris more than Trump. They’d be shaking in their boots if Trump is elected. I just hope Harris will have a normal presidency. That’s all I’m asking for, a normal presidency.
Which candidate would be better for U.S. policy toward Israel?
Harris would be better for Israel because she won’t kowtow to its right wing. The right wing there is not popular; 70 percent of the people in Israel don’t like the government that they have now. I also don’t like somebody telling me that I’m sick or a bad Jew if I vote for Democrats. And that’s what Trump said. I don’t think that’s good for Israel either.
How concerned are you about antisemitism?
My daughter is very, very concerned about it. She’s obsessed with it. I’m not. I guess I’ve lived longer. I was thrown out of a college dorm because I was Jewish. I was told that my parents were probably communists. This was in 1969, so I’ve been living with that growing up in the South in Norfolk, VA for a long time. It kind of rolls off my back.
Regardless of your choice, are you confident democracy will emerge from the 2024 election unscathed?
No, not if the Republicans win. They want to install Christian nationalism. They want it to be a Christian country. Trump told people, if you’re a Christian, you won’t have to vote anymore. I mean, this is really scary. Trump is the only president in the history of our country who didn’t allow a peaceful transfer of power and didn’t attend his successor’s inauguration. So how can you expect him to change?
Are you doing anything on the ground on Election Day (or leading up to
Election Day)?
I’ll be phone banking for Democratic Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown. Harris is going to lose Ohio. There’s no point in calling about her. Nobody’s even asking. Brown has been our senator for 12 years. In 2018, every other statewide office went to the Republicans, except for his. And he is about five points ahead, so hopefully he’ll win.