POLL: American Jews Remain Strongly Supportive Of The Democratic Party

October 16, 2018

This October 16, 2018 analysis represents the findings of a national survey of 800 voters designed to reflect the likely 2018 Jewish electorate. Interviews were conducted online though a randomly selected panel October 2-11, 2018. The sample utilized a matching method to reflect the Jewish electorate; all respondents were screened for Jewish identity and likely participation in the Nov. 2018 general election. The margin of error is +/- 3.5% at the 95% level of confidence (higher for subgroups). This survey was conducted by The Mellman Group on behalf of the Jewish Electorate Institute.

Our just completed national survey reveals substantial antipathy toward Donald Trump, his policies and his party among American Jews. The community plans to vote Democratic in vast numbers both in 2018 and 2020. While Jewish voters approve of Trump’s handling of US-Israeli relations by a small margin, this does very little to increase support for Trump in the Jewish community, which is focused on a wide variety of mostly domestic issues in this election.

The Lion’s Share Of Jewish Voters Identify As Democratic And Liberal

Large majorities of Jewish voters identify as Democrats and as liberals; and they plan to vote Democratic in upcoming elections. More than two-thirds (68%) of Jewish voters identify as Democrats, while only a quarter (25%) identify as Republicans.

Overall, 47% of Americans identify as Democrats and 44% as Republicans according to Gallup’s recent survey.

Thus, Jewish identification with Democrats is over 20 points higher than for Americans as a whole, while Jews are also about 20 points less likely to consider themselves Republicans. This 40 point advantage in Democratic identification has been common for decades.

Likewise, 64% of Jewish voters consider themselves to be liberals, while only 29% call themselves conservatives.

American Jews Overwhelmingly Support Democratic Candidates

Jewish voters are planning to cast ballots for Democrats in Congressional races this year, and for President in 2020. By a 74% to 26% margin, Jewish voters say they will vote for the Democratic candidate for Congress in their district this year.

Similarly, when considering the 2020 Presidential election, 74% say they will vote for a Democratic candidate, while just 26% will vote for Donald Trump.

Indeed, President Trump is distinctly unpopular with American Jews, more than three -quarters (76%) of whom hold an unfavorable view of him, while just 23% express favorable opinions. On average 42% of Americans have favorable views of Trump, with 55% unfavorable.

By contrast, Democratic figures like Barack Obama (72% favorable, 28% unfavorable) and Joe Biden (74% favorable, 26% unfavorable) are well – liked by Jewish voters.

Jewish Voters Are Critical Of Trump’s Job Performance Overall Though A Bare Majority Approve Of His Handling Of US-Israel Relations

Overall just 25% of American Jews approve of the job Trump is doing as President, while 75% disapprove. Here too Jews prove far more hostile to Trump than the population at large. On average, about 43% of Americans overall approve of the job the President is doing, while 53% disapprove.

Large majorities of Jews disapprove of Trump’s handling of every issue with one exception: US-Israel relations where they divide evenly (51% approve, 49% disapprove). Most of those who feel positively about his handling of US-Israel relations are those who support him more broadly. Just 35% of those who disapprove Trump’s performance overall, approve of the way he is handling Israel.

In every other arena there is massive disapproval. Indeed, as the graph indicates, 70% or more of Jewish voters disapprove of his handling of anti-Semitism, the Iran nuclear deal, foreign policy, immigration, Supreme Court nominations, gun safety, the environment and healthcare. Over sixty percent (62%) disapprove of Trump’s handling of US relations with the Palestinians.

Trump’s Policy On Israel Does Little To Generate Support For Him Among Jewish Voters

While a bare majority (51%) of Jewish voters approve of the way the President is handling US-Israel relations, very few are willing to support him on that basis alone. Only 6% of Jewish voters say Trump’s Israel policy will cause them to consider voting for him despite their disagreements with him on other important issues. Another 20% say they “support President Trump’s policy on Israel, but I disagree with him on too many other important issues, so I will not consider voting for him.”

Twenty-one percent support Trump’s polices in general and over half (51%) oppose him across the board.

In total, more than 7 in 10 Jewish voters (71%) say they will not consider voting for Trump in 2020.

In addition, American Jews see Democrats as a pro-Israel party. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of Jewish voters believe Democrats are “pro-Israel,” including 84% of those who identify themselves as Democrats.

Jewish Voters Weigh Many – Mostly Domestic – Issues When Deciding How To Vote

While 92% of American Jews consider themselves “pro-Israel,” and a significant number said a candidate’s support for Israel was an important consideration for them, it is clearly just one of many issues they will consider. Just over half (52%) said that “whether the candidate supports Israel” is at least “very important” to them, ranking well below a number of other issues, including “the kind of Supreme Court Justices the candidate will support” (90% at least very important—a number possibly inflated somewhat as a result of the contentious Kavanaugh confirmation taking place while this poll was fielding), the economy and jobs (87%), “protecting Medicare and Social Security” (84% at least very important), “making quality affordable healthcare available to every American” (83% at least very important) and “making taxes more fair” (80%).

Again, since the vast majority of Jews are themselves “pro-Israel” (92%) and since they see Democrats as a pro-Israel party, there is no particular reason this should emerge as a critical voting issue compared to those on which real differences between the parties are widely perceived.

Jewish Voters Consider Themselves Pro-Israel, Though Many Are Critical Of The Current Israeli Government

Most Jewish voters (92%) consider themselves to be “generally pro-Israel,” but fewer than a third (32%) say that they are also supportive of the current Israeli government’s policies. A majority (59%) say that they are “pro-Israel,” but critical of at least some Israeli government policies, with 24% critical of many of the government’s policies.

Conclusion

American Jews remain fiercely loyal to the Democratic Party, which they see as pro-Israel and also as representing their views on a wide range of issues, both foreign and domestic. They offer negative assessments of President Trump and nearly all his polices, and prioritize domestic issues in deciding which candidate to support. Jews will once again be voting for Democrats in overwhelming numbers next month.

Antisemitism is a warning sign. Are we listening?

By Eileen Filler-Corn • July 3, 2025
In the nearly two years since Hamas’s brutal Oct. 7 attack on Israel, American Jews have watched a disturbing rise in antisemitism take place across America — and crucially, among some of our longtime allies. For decades, Jewish Americans stood at the forefront of progressive causes, marching for civil rights, fighting for reproductive freedom and advocating for immigrants and the marginalized. My Jewish faith is what first drove me to public service. The Jewish concept of tikkun olam — our responsibility to repair the world — is not just a religious tenet but a moral call to action. It’s why we’ve always shown up to defend others. Yet now, as antisemitism surges to record levels, many progressive organizations and leaders who once stood with us have gone quiet; or worse, turned their backs entirely. It’s no longer just about Israeli policy. The line between anti-Zionism and antisemitism has been crossed so many times it’s barely a line at all. “Zionist” has become a stand-in for “Jew,” and the message is clear: Unless you disavow the world’s only Jewish state, your place in many progressive spaces is no longer welcome. The picture is sobering. There have been calls to ban “Zionists” from Pride events. Many women’s groups have shrugged at Hamas’ rape of Israeli women. And the Democratic nominee for mayor of America’s most populous city has a pattern of antisemitic rhetoric and has refused to condemn the hurtful call to “globalize the intifada,” a rallying cry that has been used to incite violence against Jews. This didn’t happen overnight, but the silence from many who claim to fight for justice has been deafening and deeply painful. I know what it feels like to be targeted for who you are. In January 2020, shortly after I became the first woman and the first Jewish Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, the FBI uncovered a plot to assassinate me. Two members of a neo-Nazi domestic terrorist group had targeted me. It was the most serious of many threats I received during my time as Speaker. Thankfully, law enforcement intervened in time. But the threat was real, and it reminded me that hatred knows no single party or ideology. We’ve long seen this kind of extremist hate on the right, but today that same danger is rising on both extremes of the ideological spectrum. Antisemitism spreads under different names but with the same devastating consequences. Now, with the recent war between Israel and Iran, we’re likely to see a fresh wave of anti-Zionism and antisemitism. It is already giving rise to a new round of dangerous conspiracy theories laced with antisemitic tropes: accusing American Jews of dual loyalty; suggesting we control foreign policy; and portraying Jewish political engagement as part of a shadowy cabal influencing Washington. This is a moment of moral testing. Will our leaders speak clearly and forcefully against antisemitism, even when it’s politically inconvenient? Will those who champion diversity and inclusion apply those values to Jews as well? And will we be honest about how bad actors have exploited division, stoked extremism and enabled those who traffic in hate? Just as many Americans oppose President Donald Trump’s leadership while still loving this country and believing in its promise, the same is true for Israel. You can criticize or reject Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government and still support Israel’s right to exist, to defend itself and to thrive as a Jewish and democratic state. That distinction matters. Criticizing a government is not the same as condemning a people; but when it comes to Israel, that line is too often deliberately blurred. We must be able to hold leaders accountable without fueling hatred or questioning a nation’s fundamental legitimacy. Antisemitism is not merely a problem faced by Jews — it is a bellwether for the health of our democracy. When a society tolerates hatred against one group, it gives license to hate others. When threats against public servants go unchallenged, violence becomes normalized. I was reminded of that tragic reality when my friend and former counterpart, former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, was executed in her home along with her husband, Mark. Authorities say her killer was a politically motivated extremist who had compiled a list of Democratic lawmakers. Melissa was a principled leader and a friend. Her death was a heartbreaking loss and a flashing red warning sign for the tolerance of hate in our democracy. We cannot afford to treat this moment as normal. It is time for our allies to rejoin us. To speak up when we are threatened. To see antisemitism for what it is: a growing, dangerous force that must be confronted head-on. Because if we wait until it affects everyone, it will already be too late. Eileen Filler Corn is a JEI Board Member and Former Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, and the only ever Jewish speaker in VA
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Letter to House Judiciary Committee on Anti-Semitism

July 1, 2025
July 1, 2025 U.S. House Committee On The Judiciary 2142 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Now in our ninth year, the nationally and internationally recognized Jewish Electorate Institute (JEI), an independent, non-partisan, non-profit organization, continues to serve as the barometer for the Jewish electorate. We are therefore honored to submit the following Comments for the Record to the U.S. House of Representatives’ Judiciary Committee in support of its June 24, 2025, hearing on antisemitism - Rising Threat: America’s Battle Against Antisemitic Terror. This hearing, punctuated by the moving testimony of Matt Nosanchuk, reminded us that Jewish safety in America is not a political football - it is a national imperative. Nosanchuk, a former senior official in both the Obama and Biden Administrations and a lifelong advocate against antisemitism, laid bare the stark realities we face. The murder of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, who were attending a Jewish community event just blocks from his home, brought the crisis home - literally and painfully. It also underscored a chilling truth: this could have been any one of us. Antisemitism today does not discriminate based on geography, profession, or even political identity. Nosanchuk rightly challenged both ends of the political spectrum. From the right, we've seen rising indulgence of white nationalist rhetoric, normalization of Nazi imagery, and an embrace of conspiracy theorists. When antisemitism is tolerated—or worse, weaponized—by public officials and influential institutions, it emboldens violence and undermines the rule of law. The example of the pardoning of the person wearing a “Camp Auschwitz” shirt at the riot on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, was not just shocking to the Jewish community – it was symptomatic of a deeper, corrosive tolerance for hate. From the left, antisemitism also too often masquerades as political critique. When Jews are asked to renounce their ties to Israel to participate in coalitions, or when pro-Palestinian activism turns violent against Jews, with intimidating targeted rhetoric and violence, that’s not solidarity – it’s exclusion and scapegoating. Our Jewish identity should never be a precondition for political participation. What we need is not partisan grandstanding, but comprehensive action. That includes implementing the Biden Administration’s well-thought-out National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, restoring funding for civil rights enforcement at the Justice Department, and condemning hate, regardless of its ideological source. Nosanchuk’s call for education, prevention, and cross-community solidarity is exactly right. In closing, it’s our view at JEI that using antisemitism as cover for draconian immigration or university policies erodes the democratic institutions that have allowed Jewish life to flourish. Fighting hate must not become an excuse to violate civil liberties - ours or anyone else’s. Our safety as Jews has always been linked to the safety of others. In this perilous moment, we must demand more than soundbites. We must demand seriousness, solidarity, and above all, solutions. We are grateful to the Committee for having held this vital hearing at a perilous moment for American Jews. Sincerely, Barbara Goldberg Goldman Chairperson The Jewish Electorate Institute

JEI Statement on escalation and Support on Israel Security

June 18, 2025
Washington, DC — As hostilities between Israel and Iran intensify, the Jewish Electorate Institute (JEI), a nonpartisan political nonprofit, is calling on Congress to take all necessary measures to support Israel’s security, halt Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and help bring the hostages home.