Winning the Hearts of L.A. Jewry

Rob Eshman

The race to replace Los Angeles’ termed-out Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa isn’t until March 2013, but already candidates are raising cash, taking meetings, and locking up supporters. I’ve run into City Controller Wendy Gruel at so many pro-Israel banquets, I figure she’s either seriously running for mayor, or she’s making aliyah. Turns out she’s [...]

Trends Among Young Jewish Voters

Aaron Strauss

In their guide “How to Mobilize Young Voters,” Rock the Vote (a nonprofit that engages and builds the political power of young people) states, “Young adults are more likely than older adults to identify as independent, a commonsense [sic] situation for a group of voters new to politics.” Young Jews, though, seem to [...]

The View from Pennsylvania: A Cloudy Crystal Ball

Betsy R. Sheerr

It is, of course, a fool’s errand to predict in November 2011 how President Barack Obama will fare with the Jewish vote in November 2012. With every election in recent memory, there have been dire predictions of the Jewish vote swinging more Republican, yet there has been minimal movement in that direction. [...]

The Tea Party and I: Confessions of a ‘Conservative’

Gary L. Greenberg

On November 9, 2011, Ohio voters rendered a split decision for the right and left. By an overwhelming majority (61 to 39 percent), they voted “no” on State Issue 2, thereby rejecting the public sector collective bargaining reform (“SB 5”) enacted by the Republican-controlled state legislature and signed by the Republican governor. [...]

The Jewish Vote in Presidential Elections

Jonathan D. Sarna

“The Jews… are numerous enough to defeat our ticket,” the editor of the Chicago Tribune warned in a private letter to an Illinois Congressman. The year was 1868 and Republicans worried that Jews would punish Ulysses S. Grant at the ballot box. Six years earlier, Grant had issued his infamous General Orders [...]

The Force of Apathy: A Young Voice on Jewish Politics

Ami Fields-Meyer

Last spring, a local congressman came to speak at my high school. It was a routine visit: He was to deliver a few brief remarks, answer a handful of questions, and in the process court a soon-to-vote portion of his constituency. That morning, as students were still shuffling into the gym, I spotted [...]

Where Jews Stand: A Roundtable

Tune in to a heated conversation on what Jews think as we head into the 2012 election cycle.
Judith L. Lichtman: What do we know about ourselves as Jews that will inform how we think about the upcoming election?
<> Raphael Sonenshein: The Jewish dilemma in politics is always Hillel’s dilemma: “If I’m not [...]

Religion Matters, Regionally

Mark Silk

In American politics, religion matters in three ways. First, religious identity matters. Mormons and evangelical Protestants vote solidly Republican. Jews and the non-religious are in the Democratic camp. Catholics, who used to be loyal Democrats, are now a swing constituency, divided between strongly Democratic Latinos and modestly Republican-leaning whites.
Second, the intensity [...]

One Voice or Many?

An Exchange of Letters
Steven Windmueller & Howard I. Friedman

Dear Howard,
In prior conversations, you and I have discussed the story of American Jewish “exceptionalism” and agreed to disagree. We both acknowledge that the Jewish experience in American society has been unique within the annals of our history and we agree that opportunities afforded Jews [...]

In Florida

Michael M. Adler

In the 2012 presidential election, Florida will be given two additional electoral votes. The Jewish community here has been and continues to be a very important part of the state’s electorate. Jews will be a major factor in determining Florida’s 29 electoral college votes — votes that may determine the outcome of [...]