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 Josh, click here.
Age: 44
Occupation: Environmental attorney, city councilmember
Location: Des Moines, IA
Party Registration: Democratic
Jewish Denomination: Reform
Political Leaning: Pragmatic Progressive
Current 2024 Vote: Kamala Harris
2020 Vote: Joe Biden
Family: Married; son, 10-years-old, daughter, 8-years-old
News Sources: The New York Times, Washington Post, Des Moines Register, NPR, Axios
What are you most hopeful for if Harris is elected?
I think Kamala Harris provides a fantastic generational contrast to Trump and a contrast in terms of her depth of experience as a district attorney, a state attorney general and a senator. I think folks wanted that contrast and think she is uniquely positioned to build a broad coalition, from a Democratic perspective.
One of the issues she spoke about right out of the gate is housing and the impact it has on poverty, the impact it has on middle- and working-class folks being able to get ahead. I’m hopeful she will address it at the national level.
And what are you most worried about if Trump is elected?
I continue to worry about the fundamental attacks on our institutions and how our democracy is run. I think the negativity and the chaos and the polarizing that comes with Trump extends beyond our politics. He plays to people’s worst instincts, whereas I think the contrast between him and the vice president has more to do with optimism and playing to people’s better side. That’s kind of an abstract piece, but I think it’s one of the more lasting impacts of Trump. It’s this coarsening of society, this focus on negativity, this sheer willingness to react to other folks in a very negative way, and cementing that in our culture.
Which candidate do you think would be better for Israel?
My hope is that the bipartisan support that we’ve had in this country for Israel. I have full confidence that Harris will support Israel as a strong ally. She’s walked the line very well in terms of the importance of supporting Israel and Israel’s right to defend itself, the need to bring back the hostages, and what the challenge of this war has meant in terms of lost lives in Gaza and the impact there. I don’t want to see Israel as a pariah state—I don’t think that’s good for the long-term interests of Israel or for the Jewish people. I trust Harris to lead the country through all of the challenges and all of the complexity here. But my hope is that regardless of who wins, we continue as a country to value the relationship with Israel.
Are you worried about the rise of antisemitism in this country?
I’ve got young kids, so you have to be worried about antisemitism. Unfortunately, it’s antisemitism that’s always been there. And in some cases it’s been made okay to express or it’s been normalized. So I certainly have concerns. And I see antisemitism on the extremes of all political ideologies. And I’m concerned that it’s been seeping into more mainstream areas of both sides of the political spectrum.