Jewish Democrats Warn Israel Divide Is Driving Voters From Party

A growing number of Jewish Democrats say they feel increasingly unwelcome in their own party, warning that anger over Israel’s war in Gaza has at times turned into hostility toward Jewish Americans, Axios reported Sunday.

The concern is becoming a political problem for Democrats ahead of 2028. Jewish Americans have long voted overwhelmingly Democratic, but party insiders told Axios that even limited movement among Jewish voters could matter in swing states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia, where Jewish communities could help shape a close presidential race.

The issue is rising as several Jewish Democratic figures are being discussed as possible 2028 contenders, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin. Their possible candidacies come as Democratic voters have moved sharply away from Israel. Pew found in April that eight in ten Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents now view Israel unfavorably, up from 69% last year and 53% in 2022.

“For many Jewish Democrats, the Democratic Party is just the latest institution that welcomed us and is turning hostile,” Howard Wolfson, a longtime Democratic strategist who worked for Hillary Clinton and Mike Bloomberg, told Axios.

Wolfson said the problem could affect the next presidential election. “There are Jewish Democrats in key states who might be hard-pressed to support the nominee if the nominee is decidedly hostile to Israel — and it's a big problem for the party,” he said.

Axios cited several recent incidents that have increased concern among Jewish Democrats. Graham Platner, the likely Democratic nominee for a Maine Senate seat and a sharp critic of Israel, was found to have a Nazi-linked tattoo, which he said he did not understand before later covering it up. A social media account for Philadelphia Democratic congressional nominee Chris Rabb reposted a claim that the Bondi Beach massacre of Jews was likely a false-flag attack by “Zionists,” with his team blaming a former staffer. In Texas, Democratic House candidate Maureen Galindo called for a “prison for American Zionists” before losing a primary runoff, though she still received 36% of the vote.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz, a Jewish Democrat from Florida, told Axios the mood among Jewish voters is changing. “Jews are starting to feel scared again,” he said.

Moskowitz said some Jewish voters are beginning to leave the Democratic Party, though he said it is not yet a “mass exodus.” He criticized party leaders for failing to respond seriously, saying, “Words are irrelevant; condemnation statements are irrelevant.”

Slotkin also raised concern at a recent town hall over the way Jewish political involvement is being discussed. “Saying Jewish donors are somehow the same as ‘pro-Israel lobby,’ I got a problem with that — and not just as an elected official, as a Jew,” she said.

Pritzker told Politico that criticism of Israel or Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cannot become an excuse for antisemitism. “Antisemitism has often been connected to people's views about Israel,” he said. “If you don't like what Israel and, in particular, Netanyahu are doing, now it's OK to have slurs that you're spewing about Jews. It's not. It's never OK.”

Jewish staffers in Democratic campaigns and offices also told Axios they have felt growing discomfort in the workplace. One former Biden White House official said, “No Jews in the Biden administration agreed with what Netanyahu was doing, but we all felt like we were having to answer for it by the party and our colleagues.”

Some Democrats say fears of Jewish voters fleeing the party are overstated, pointing to hostility toward Jews and Zionists on the right as well. Emanuel told Axios, “I think the Democratic Party has an Israel issue, but I think the Republicans have a Jewish issue.”

Ned Price, a former Biden State Department spokesman, said the party’s internal debate over Israel is “necessary, legitimate, and long overdue,” while antisemitism “must be condemned unequivocally.” But the warnings from Jewish Democrats show the issue is no longer only a foreign policy dispute. It is now part of the Democratic Party’s fight over its identity before 2028.