Midterms ’22: What Our Jewish Voters Are Thinking
With the clock ticking down to midterm elections on November 8, Moment checked in with the participants in our Jewish Political Voices Project (JPVP).
29
Sep
19
Jan
JPVP | Reactions to the Capitol Insurrection
We asked some of the Republican participants from our Jewish Political Voices Project about what recently transpired in Washington, DC and at the Capitol. We wanted to know how they felt about the rally that first took place claiming the election was stolen; what their thoughts were about what happened at the Capitol building and if those who participated should be held accountable; as well as their feelings on impeachment.
Bud Hockenberg (R-IA)—Voted for Donald Trump
ONE NATION FOR THE PEOPLE
Our constitution is based upon separate but equal branches—judiciary, legislative and executive.
The people’s house is the Congress.
There is no one person above the people.
The events of the past few weeks do not focus on the constitution but rather on individuals.
Our country is enduring and internal, not dependent upon one person.
It is critical that the Republican Party represents...
04
Sep
We Asked Our Voters: How Do You Feel About November?
As part of our Jewish Political Voices Project, Moment has been following 30 voters—3 from each of 10 battleground states—over the last 12 months as the political climate continued to shift and the pool of Democratic presidential candidates narrowed. As one of their final check-ins before casting their ballots, our voters shared their thoughts on the Trump and Biden campaigns, voting by mail and more.
10
Jun
Protesting, Policing and Politics: Will Our JPVP Voters Find Common Ground?
Two weeks have passed since the death of George Floyd and protesters continue to take to the streets. We asked our Jewish Political Voices Project (JPVP) participants their thoughts on the protest as well as the looting and police response. It’s important to note that these are the opinions of our voters, and while their analysis may not always be correct and is sometimes based on fake news, this is what they hear and believe based on what they see in their communities.
While almost everyone agrees with people’s right to protest, the reaction to how protesters have been treated amid some of the chaos varies widely. According to Republican Lou Weiss of Pennsylvania, “police response should have been faster and stronger” while Democrat Beth Bendheim from Virginia says, “seeing first-hand how the police are...
20
Mar
Voters Disagree on Administration’s Response to Coronavirus, but Agree on Seriousness of the Crisis
With the nationwide near-total shutdown in response to the coronavirus pandemic, we asked participants in the Jewish Political Voices Project (JPVP) what they thought about the response from political leaders. We also wanted to know how their lives have changed as “social distancing” becomes the new normal.
The crisis so far shows few signs of bridging the political divide between Republican and Democratic JPVP participants. The Democrats are nearly uniform in their condemnation of the federal response to the pandemic, while several Republicans praise the Trump administration’s actions and say their support for the president has grown. Iowa Republican Bud Hockenberg, 92, calls the federal response “perfect” and says it has “increased my support” for Trump. North Carolina Republican Mark Goldhaber, 67, characterizes the federal response as “reasonably strong,” even though it was “slow off the...
11
Mar
The New Politics of Anti-Semitism
It’s no surprise that virtually all of our voters say they are concerned about anti-Semitism and its effect on their families and communities.
09
Mar
Our Voters Voice Solid Support for Biden, but Disappointment that Race Is Now Between ‘Two Old White Guys’
With Super Tuesday behind us and the field now narrowed to former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders, we asked participants in the Jewish Political Voices Project who they now support for the Democratic nomination and their thoughts on the race thus far.
03
Mar
For JPVP Participants, AIPAC Was a Bipartisan Affair
In the weeks leading up to their annual policy conference, AIPAC made headlines with its controversial ad attacking “radical” Democrats and Bernie Sanders’s public boycott of the conference. #BoycottAIPAC trended on Twitter as many on the left defended Sanders’s claim that AIPAC gives voice to “bigotry.” But for Jewish Political Voices Project participants attending the conference, AIPAC is more bipartisan than the public perception. Alma Hernandez, a Democrat from Arizona says that she’s “never been involved with an AIPAC event or project that is advertising or promoting hate or discrimination against anyone. It’s frustrating to see how we were all categorized as bigots.” Ohio Republican Andrew Smith partially attributes the negative perception of AIPAC to Benjamin Netanyahu’s long tenure as Israel’s Prime Minister: “AIPAC tends to support the Israeli government. Because of that, people associate...
11
Feb
For Our Iowa Voters–Calm, Order and Few Hints of the Chaos to Come
Following last week’s Iowa caucuses, we spoke with the two Democratic Iowa voters participating in Moment’s Jewish Political Voices Project about their experiences. Janice Weiner, who supports Senator Amy Klobuchar, led her Iowa City caucus, which attracted 525 people. Josh Mandelbaum, whose Des Moines caucus drew 512 people, was a “persuader” for Senator Elizabeth Warren, responsible for convincing undecided voters or those whose first choice did not reach the 15 percent viability threshold, to support her candidacy. From their on-the-ground perspective, the Iowa caucuses were smooth, transparent and overwhelmingly positive. They saw few hints of the chaos to come as the Iowa Democratic Party struggled to tally the results and former South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg and Senator Bernie Sanders each claimed victory.
How did your experience caucusing this year compare to your experience in...
13
Jan
Our Voters’ Top Choice for President? Whoever Has the Best Chance of Defeating Trump
The thinking typically goes like this: Support the candidate you love, and the votes will follow. But these are not normal times.