GOP works to turn out pro-Trump Jewish voters in swing states to trim Democrats’ edge

WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. (AP) — Rachel Weinberg calls herself a belief Jew first, past a proud American. She said she has only 1 prime for president: Donald Trump.

“I don’t for illustration everything he says,” nan 72-year-old retired preschool coach from Michigan said aft unpaid canvassers for nan Republican Jewish Coalition knocked connected her doorway Sunday. “But I ballot for Israel. It is our life. I support Israel. Trump supports Israel pinch his rima and his actions.”

Weinberg’s location successful West Bloomfield, successful vote-rich Oakland County, was among much than 20 that nan Republican Jewish Coalition was visiting that morning. She has voted for Trump successful erstwhile elections arsenic well.

The door-to-door outreach to Jewish voters pinch a history of backing Republicans is portion of a caller effort nan group is undertaking this twelvemonth successful 5 statesmanlike battleground states successful hopes of boosting Trump complete Democrat Kamala Harris successful nan Nov. 5 election. Although surveys show that Jews ballot decidedly Democratic, nan Republican Jewish Coalition is hoping that nan door-knocking will peel disconnected capable votes to make a quality successful an predetermination twelvemonth erstwhile nan war betwixt Israel and Hamas has stoked statement and provoked division.

About 7 successful 10 Jewish voters nationally backed Democrat Joe Biden successful 2020, while astir 3 successful 10 backed Trump that year, according to AP VoteCast, a sweeping study of nan electorate. A Pew Research Center canvass released past period recovered that astir two-thirds of Jewish voters backmost Harris.

Biden carried Michigan successful 2020 by less than 155,000 votes retired of astir 5.5 cardinal cast. Although Jewish voters relationship for only 2% of nan state’s voters, nan 15,000 caller Jewish Republican voters nan conjugation has identified since nan 2020 predetermination — retired of astir 120,000 Jewish voters successful nan authorities — could make an effect successful what is shaping up to beryllium a very adjacent race, said Sam Markstein, an RJC spokesperson.

The Republican Jewish Coalition’s targeting is very circumstantial successful Michigan, arsenic it is successful Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania. Here, its activity is centered successful Oakland County, nan state’s 2nd most-populous county, pinch 1.3 cardinal group conscionable northwest of Detroit.

It’s peculiarly focusing connected nan precocious middle-class suburbs of Farmington Hills, Oak Park, Southfield and West Bloomfield — nan township pinch nan state’s largest Jewish population, wherever Israeli flags bent successful immoderate beforehand windows.

Biden defeated Trump successful 2020, 66% to 33%, successful nan West Bloomfield Township precinct wherever 82-year-old David Cuttner and 22-year-old Noam Nedivi were canvassing for nan conjugation connected Sunday. The separator was not acold disconnected nan nationalist trend.

The coalition’s robust effort is aimed astatine chipping distant astatine Democrats’ advantages among this voting bloc. “This includes nonstop mail, social, digital, each hyper-targeted to nan Jewish community. And it’s going to beryllium a afloat thrust, nan largest finance ever to move retired Jewish voters for Republicans,” Markstein said.

The Republican Jewish Coalition has purchased $15 cardinal successful advertizing successful Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania. But it’s nan $5 cardinal it has committed to door-to-door outreach that is caller for this election, chiefly its finance successful elector information aimed astatine much efficiently identifying imaginable Trump supporters.

Halie Soifer, nan CEO of nan Jewish Democratic Council of America, said successful a connection that Jewish voters are a cardinal portion of a winning Democratic coalition.

“Kamala Harris shares nan views and values of nan mostly of American Jews, while Donald Trump threatens and denigrates us, trafficks successful antisemitic rhetoric, aligns pinch vulnerable extremists, and aspires to beryllium a dictator connected time one,” Soifer said.

Tensions person been precocious since nan warfare began connected Oct. 7, 2023, erstwhile Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 group successful Israel and took 250 group hostage. More than 42,000 Palestinians person been killed successful Gaza successful nan consequent fighting, according to Gaza wellness officials.

Republicans were much apt than Democrats to beryllium supportive of Israel, while Democrats were much apt to beryllium critical, a study by nan Pearson Institute and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research recovered successful September.

The fighting has intensified nan attraction connected nan narration betwixt Israel and nan U.S., which has provided at slightest $17.9 cardinal successful subject aid since nan warfare began. And galore Jews opportunity rising acts of antisemitism successful nan United States and anti-Israel protests successful cities and assemblage campuses person made them consciousness unsafe. Nedivi, who was canvassing Sunday, said he had been a unfortunate of antisemitism astatine nan Michigan assemblage he attends.

Zeke Aharonov had an replacement connection for his chap observant Jews aft opinionated successful a statement of much than 200 group to formed his early ballot astatine nan West Bloomfield room Sunday.

“As Jews, it is our work to beryllium attentive to fascism and to conflict it,” nan 26-year-old cybersecurity tech said arsenic he near nan library. “And our measurement of fighting fascism is to ballot against Donald Trump.”

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Poling newsman Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux contributed to this study from Washington.