Inclusiveness and Influence
When one compares the Harris/Walz ticket and the Democrats to Trump/Vance and the Republicans, the facts clearly demonstrate that one party is more open to including Jewish voices, while the other party is less so, and in fact will seek to exclude them if Trump is elected. Some examples include:
- Many more Jewish Democrats hold elected office and high-ranking cabinet positions than Republicans;
- Elected Jewish officials were much more visible at the Democratic National Convention than at the Republican National Convention;
- Project 2025, an initiative developed by 140 former Trump administration staffers, is an attempt to infuse the government and society with Christian conservative values. Critics have characterized the project as an authoritarian, Christian Nationalist plan to steer the U.S. toward faith-based autocracy. Jews and our values are unlikely to fare well if Project 2025 is implemented.
Questions & Answers
Democrats, by far. The Trump/Pence administration had one Jewish cabinet member, while the Biden/Harris administration has four. There are currently:
- Four Jewish Democratic governors and zero Jewish Republican governors;
- Eight Jewish Democratic senators and zero Jewish Republican senators;
- Twenty-five Jewish Democratic members of the House of Representatives and only two Jewish Republican members of the House.
As one of the most powerful positions in any administration, this official controls access to the President and has enormous influence in determining what issues the Commander-in-Chief focuses on and what advice the president receives. In the Biden administration, both Chiefs of Staff – Ron Klain (2021-2023) and Jeff Zients (2023-present) – are Jews. Obama also had two Jewish Chiefs of Staff: Rahm Emanuel and the Orthodox Jack Lew (who is now U.S. Ambassador to Israel).
President Trump had four Chiefs of Staff. None were Jewish.
The Democratic Party. Joe Lieberman was the first Jewish person on a major Presidential ticket, as Vice Presidential nominee with Democratic Presidential candidate Al Gore. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is the highest-ranking Jew in American political history.
No, not necessarily. There are examples of Jewish elected and appointed officials who have not been particularly friendly to Israel and who have not stood up as forcefully against antisemitism as they should have. On the other hand, many non-Jewish senators, congressmen, and members of the Cabinet have been staunchly pro-Israel and aggressively fought antisemitism in the U.S.
This, however, does not negate the point that the Democratic Party is more welcoming of Jews, provides Jews with more opportunities for influence, and has the best interests of the State of Israel and the American Jewish community in mind. It does so not in order to get votes but because its values correspond to the values of the Jewish people, which include cherishing freedom, respect for others, repairing the world, and the pursuit of justice.
According to the Brookings Institution, 2% of Democrat candidates considered anti-Israel have won their primaries vs. 3% of Republican candidates. Clearly, the anti-Israel message has not resonated with voters from either party.
