Jewish vote remains traditionally DemocratAccording to data published by the National Jewish Democratic Council, the average Jewish support of a Republican candidate since 1972 stands at 27.4%. On the other hand, the Jewish Republican Coalition announced yesterday that more and more Jews vote Republican. According to their data, collected since 1992, the average number of Jews who voted for a Republican in the presidential elections has been rising steadily: 11% in 1992, followed by 16% in '96, 19% in 2000 and in the 2004 elections, 25% of Jews voted for President Bush.
Tal ShneiderThe Israel Swing Factor[T]he greatest political strength of American Jewry lies in the fact that it is a uniquely swayable bloc . The issue of support for Israel has proven capable of spurring a sizable portion of Jews to switch parties - in large enough numbers to tip the scales in national or statewide elections. Moreover, the "Israel swing vote" is especially open to political courtship because, unlike the interests of other minority groups, support for Israel has long been compatible with traditional Republican and Democratic agendas. By contrast, most other issues (abortion, affirmative action, etc.) cannot be embraced by Republicans or Democrats without alienating certain support bases. A pro-Israel stance runs no such risk. On the other hand, being distinctively unsupportive of Israel can significantly hurt a candidate's chances.
by Jeffrey S. Helmreich
15 January 2001Jewish Vote In Presidential Elections
SunkenCiv,
What kind of impact would there be for the Jewish voters if McCain was to start making comments that Joe Lieberman would be someone he would like to have in a senior cabinet position?