I CLOSE-UP

ELECT

ON

Middle
East
A
Non-Issue
In
Primaries

JAMES DAVID BESSER

Washington Correspondent

NATIONAL

26

FRIDAY. JULY 27. 1990

In

many
ways, 1988 was a watershed
year in Jewish political life.
But two years later, the off-
year political contests are
drawing mostly yawns from
political observers in the
Jewish community.
Despite growing concerns
about the U.S.-Israel rela-
tionship and indications of
growing public dissatisfac-
tion with Israel's $3 billion
in U.S. aid, the Middle East
is turning out to be a non-
issue in the current round of
House and Senate elections.
And the black-Jewish
split, a major sub-theme of
the 1988 presidential
primaries, has receded as an
issue as Jesse Jackson has
turned to a new political
venue in the District of
Columbia. Jackson is runn-
ing for senator in D.C.'s
shadow congressional dele-
gation. He's also dedicated a
great deal of his efforts in
D.C.'s ongoing statehood
bid.
Despite the low-key style
of the 1990 political season,
there are a number of races
that will help shape Jewish
political activity for the rest
of the decade. In particular,
1990 represents an early
skirmish for the congres-
sional redistricting process
in 1992 that could have an
important impact on Jewish
political clout.
In the Senate, Jewish
politicos are keeping a sharp
eye on Michigan, where Sen.
Carl Levin, a Democrat,
leads the list of vulnerable
incumbents according to the
assessment of GOP strate-
gists.
Levin's race against Rep.
Bill Schuette, the probable
Republican nominee, will
have some interesting Jew-
ish twists. Despite
Schuette's good pro-Israel
record, pro-Israel groups are
turning out in force to sup-
port the incumbent. Before
he faces Levin, however,
Schuette must first defeat
Grosse Pointe's Clark
Durant.
Just two years ago, some
pro-Israel political action

committees (PACs) were
blasting Levin for his au-
thorship of the "letter of 30,"
the Senate missive urging
the government of Israeli
Prime Minister Yitzhak
Shamir to adopt a more bal-
anced approach to negotia-
tions with the Palestinians.
But Levin is once again in
the good graces of the pro-
Israel groups. According to
PAC analysts, Levin's pro-
Israel record remains one of
the strongest in the Senate.
And in today's volatile Mid-
dle East context, the "letter
of 30" seems almost
understated.
Levin is an incumbent —
which counts for much more
than the fact that the sena-
tor is also one of eight Jews
in the upper house. Also,
Levin's status as a ranking
member of the Senate armed
services committee — a key
committee in terms of joint
military projects between
the United States and Israel
— weighs heavily in his
favor with pro-Israel groups.
At the same time, Jewish
multi-issue groups have long
seen Levin as one of a
dwindling number of allies
in the Senate.
From the outset, Levin's
chances for re-election were
considered problematic by

DAVID DUKE

Without his party's
endorsement, former Ku
Klux Klan Grand Wizard
Duke, a Louisiana
legislator, is running for
the U.S. Senate on the
Republican ticket against
Senate veteran J. Bennett
Johnston.

U.S. REP. BILL SCHUETTE

Despite Schuette's good
pro-Israel record, pro-
Israel groups are
supporting incumbent
Sen. Carl Levin in the
race for U.S. Senate.

political professionals. As a
result, pro-Israel PACs have
"maxed out" in supporting
Levin -- providing the max-
imum amount per PAC
allowed by law. And in-
dividual Jewish contributors
have rallied to help finance
what is expected to be a very
costly fight to retain his
seat.
Still, the race is expected
to be extraordinarily close.
In Minnesota, Sen. Rudy
Boschwitz, a conservative
Republican and another
member of the Senate's tiny
Jewish delegation, is
breathing sighs of relief.
Last year, the conservative
legislator was expected to
face some stiff competition
from former Vice President
Walter Mondale, a popular
figure in the state.
After a long period of
testing the waters, Mondale
announced that he would not
challenge Boschwitz —
despite the fact that the con-
servative Boschwitz is some-
thing of an anomaly in the
liberal state.
Boschwitz's opponent —
Paul Wellstone, a Jesse
Jackson supporter — is also
Jewish, setting the stage for
an all-Jewish Senate battle
in a state in which only .7
percent of voters are Jewish.
In South Dakota, incum-
bent Sen. Larry Pressler is