jews in the d

The 2018 Vote

Most Jews plan to vote Democratic for Congress.

A

new poll finds that 75 percent
of American Jews disapprove
of President Donald Trump,
and that 74 percent plan to vote for
Democratic candidates for Congress
this fall. The survey was conducted by
the Mellman Group on behalf of the
Jewish Electoral Institute (JEI). The
poll of 800 American Jewish voters
confirms that American Jews remain

The Gold Standard of Senior Living

Magnolia South
Independent Resort

For Young Seniors (55+)

On the Magnifi cent Shores
of Cass Lake
In the Heart of Oakland County

1700 Cass Lake Rd., Keego Harbor, MI
Call 248-681-8000
www.magnoliabythelakes.com

16

October 25 • 2018

jn

firmly within the Democratic fold.
JEI is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3)
organization focused on deepening
public’s understanding of the
American Jewish electorate. This
new organization is providing the
public with information regarding
the American Jewish electorate and
leading a national, nonpartisan Get
Out The Jewish Vote effort.
These attitudes are further reflected
in partisan and ideological affiliations
of American Jewish voters. Sixty-
eight percent of respondents identify
as Democrats, while only 25 percent
identify as Republicans. Sixty-four
percent describe themselves as
liberals, while only 29 percent describe
themselves as political conservatives.
American Jews are particularly neg-
ative in their perception of President
Trump’s handling of health care, the
environment, gun safety, immigration,
the Supreme Court and taxes. The
poll also finds widespread disapproval
with Trump’s handling of the Iranian
nuclear deal, anti-Semitism, moving
the U.S. Embassy in Israel, the U.S.
relationship with Palestinians and U.S.
foreign policy overall.
When deciding which candidates

to support in the midterms, “very
important” issues for American
Jewish voters are as follows: “the
kind of Supreme Court justices the
candidate will support” (90 percent),
“protecting Medicare and Social
Security” (84 percent) and “making
quality affordable healthcare available
to every American (83 percent). While
a significant number of Jewish voters
(52 percent) say that a
candidate’s support for
Israel is “very important,”
it is one of many issues
of importance weighed
by American Jewish vot-
ers when deciding which
candidate to support.
On the topic of Israel,
the poll finds that an
overwhelming majority
of American Jews sup-
port Israel, but also are
critical of at least some of
the Israeli government’s
policies. Ninety-two
percent of respondents
identify as “generally pro-Israel,” but
59 percent of respondents also express
some disagreement with the current
government’s policies.
While Jewish voters are split almost
evenly on how they respond to the
way President Trump is handling
U.S.-Israel relations, few are willing
to support him on that alone. Only
6 percent say Trump’s Israel policy
will cause them to consider voting for
him despite disagreements on other
important issues. Another 20 percent
say they support Trump’s policy on
Israel, but “disagree with him on too
many other important issues.” In total,
71 percent say they will not consider
voting for Trump in 2020.
American Jews also see Democrats
as a pro-Israel party. Nearly two-thirds
(64 percent) of Jewish voters believe
the Democratic Party is “pro-Israel,”
including 84 percent of those who
identify themselves as Democrats.
The poll was conducted online
between Oct. 2-11 and selected
for likely American Jewish voters.
Ninety-three percent of those polled
indicated they are “almost certain”
to vote in November. The margin of
error is +/- 3.5 percent. ■