National Survey of Likely Jewish Voters in 2020

February 28, 2020

On behalf of the non-partisan Jewish Electorate Institute (JEI), Garin-Hart-Yang conducted an online survey of 1,001 Jewish voters nationally who self-identify as Jewish and indicate that they are likely to vote in the November 2020 election.  The survey, which was conducted from February 18 to 24, 2020, has a margin of error of ±3.2 percentage points. JEI has conducted two other national surveys among Jewish voters (in 2018 and 2019), and it used the findings of those surveys to provide a baseline comparison of political preferences and views among the Jewish electorate.

Topline Analysis of the Data Regarding the Jewish Electorate

  • A majority of Jewish voters identify as Democrats, and an overwhelming majority of Jewish voters disapprove of President Trump.
  • Jewish voters support each of the leading Democratic candidates at essentially the same level in head-to-head match-ups against Donald Trump.
  • A majority of Jewish voters view all of the leading Democratic candidates favorably.
  • While Jewish voters remain strongly pro-Israel, Jewish voters prioritize domestic policy issues over Israel when asked which issues are most important to them in selecting a candidate.
  • While nearly all respondents identify as “pro-Israel,” a majority also identify as critical of at least some of the current Israeli government’s policies.
  • Jewish voters feel less secure than they did two years ago, and they hold President Trump responsible for their insecurity.
  • A plurality of Jewish voters believe that the best way to improve the security of Jews in the United States is “helping people with the right values get elected.”

This memorandum presents the 11 key findings of the JEI survey.

1.   A consistent majority of the Jewish electorate identify as Democrats. A consistent 25% of Jewish voters identify as Republicans, and a consistent +65% identify as Democrats. These numbers have not changed outside the margin of error since 2018.

2.   Jewish voters overwhelmingly disapprove of President Trump, with nearly three in five saying they strongly disapprove of Trump. These numbers have remained fairly consistent since he took office.

Jewish Democrats are overwhelmingly united against President Trump (6% approve, 93% disapprove), and while Jewish Republicans give President Trump more support (81% approve), 12% of Republicans say they disapprove.

3.   Jewish voters are generally supportive of all of the leading Democratic candidates at nearly equal levels . While Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg lead the favorability rating with 60% each, Bernie Sanders ranked last, with more than half (52%) still viewing him favorably. Bernie Sanders’s unfavorable rating (45%) among Jewish voters is more than 20 points lower than President Trump’s (68%).

4.   Two-thirds of Jewish voters say they will vote for a generic Democratic candidate over President Trump in the 2020 general election. These numbers are similar to when Trump is pitted against any of the actual Democratic candidates.

5.   Despite uniform support for every Democratic candidate versus President Trump, Senator Bernie Sanders is a slightly more polarizing figure than his fellow Democratic candidates. Sanders has higher unfavorable ratings among some key subgroups, but he finds strong support among younger Jewish voters.

But, in keeping with Jewish voters’ overwhelming sentiment to vote out Trump, the Sanders vote in the trial heat looks fairly similar to the generic vote by these same subgroups:

6 . While there are some issues for which President Trump’s performance is viewed as favorable by a majority or plurality of Jewish voters, this is not translating into support for him. The polling data on Donald Trump’s electoral prospects among Jewish voters suggest that the issues on which a slim majority of Jewish voters have a favorable view (namely, those related to Israel) are not driving the Jewish vote.

7. Domestic issues, particularly healthcare, Medicare, and Social Security, remain the top issues for Jewish voters.  When asked about the issues that are most important when selecting a candidate, Israel remains the lowest priority for Jewish voters. [1]

[1] These results are virtually identical to the 2019 polling, when we asked about Israel in a slightly different way: “How important will be a candidate’s position on Israel be for you personally in deciding who you will vote for in the November 2020 election?”

(Interestingly, there is little meaningful generational difference, as 21% of both Millennials and Jewish voters age 65 and older say that Israel is one of the most important issues to them.)

8. The low importance of Israel as a voting issue in 2020 does NOT mean a corresponding diminution of Jewish voters’ support for Israel.   A near universal 91% of respondents surveyed describe themselves as generally pro-Israel, which is at the same high level as in the 2019 and 2018 surveys.  While respondents are strongly pro-Israel, we find that 56% of the Jewish electorate are critical of at least some of the current Israel government’s policies.

9. A substantial proportion of Jewish voters personally feel less safe than they did two years ago, and they believe that Jews in the United States are less safe than they were two years ago.

This is another finding in which there is little difference between demographic groups’ perceptions of insecurity in the Jewish community due to the rise of anti-Semitism: millennials feel less secure by 56% to 9%, which is not much different from voters age 65 and older (60% less secure, 3% more secure.)

10. President Trump’s disapproval ratings for issues are highest when it comes to his handling of anti-Semitism and white nationalism (71% of voters disapprove, including one-third of Republicans.) President Trump is viewed by a significant percentage of Jewish voters as part of the problem fueling the rise of anti-Semitism.

A plurality (45%) express concern about President Trump’s emboldening far-right extremists and white nationalists, a notable change since 2019.  More than one in four Republican voters express concern about Trump’s actions and about “Republicans tolerating anti-Semitism” in their ranks:

Similarly, President Trump and the GOP are viewed to some extent as contributing to rising anti-Semitism, and 56% of Jewish voters believe he is at least partially to blame for targeted attacks on synagogues:

11.   Jewish voters continue to channel their concern about issues, such as rising anti-Semitism, into political action , with virtually similar results by key demographics such as age, with a plurality of voters indicating that the best way to improve Jews’ security in the United States is by “helping people with the right values get elected.”

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.