American Jews voted solidly Democratic in the 2026 midterms, which they treated as a referendum on President Donald Trump and Republicans and as an opportunity to support democracy, according to post-election polling.
An NBC News exit poll found 68% of Jewish people nationwide supported Democrats while 31% backed Republicans, trailing only American Muslims (86% to 11%) and religiously unaffiliated people (78% to 20%). The Jerusalem Post noted the outcome adhered closely to some pre-election estimates that 71% of Jewish voters would cast ballots for Democrats.
A J Street/GBAO study released Nov. 5 and focused exclusively on Jewish voters reported 72% voted for Democratic candidates compared to 24% who voted for Republicans.
Jim Gerstein
But strong disapproval of the Trump agenda did not create the chasm between Jewish voters and the GOP consistently reflected in surveys, said Jim Gerstein, founding partner of the GBAO political polling firm.
The 48-point advantage Democrats enjoyed over Republicans in the GBAO poll is consistent with surveys conducted over at least the last nine election cycles.
“It is just so remarkable how stable the Jewish vote is and how consistent it is amid all this turbulence,” Gerstein said during the Nov. 5 online release of the study.
“This is not a constituency that is wavering like what we have seen nationally with Hispanic voters swinging back and forth in such ways that make a massive impact on election results,” he said. “This is a constituency that has very firm political beliefs and values, and it is stunning actually how every two years there are claims that something is going on that’s going to change the vote. It just doesn’t happen.”
But Trump was very much on the ballot for most of the Jewish voters surveyed in the project, as were many of the other political and social issues that drove Americans to the polls, he said.
The GBAO poll found less than a quarter of Jewish voters (24%) approve of the job the president is doing in the White House, while 76% disapprove — including 74% who said they strongly disapprove.
On the other end, only 24% approve of Trump’s performance, including 15% who expressed strong support. “That is a stunning number. Jewish voters do not support Donald Trump in any way, shape or form,” Gerstein said.
The only strong Jewish backing the president enjoys comes from Orthodox Jews, which the survey tracked at 72% to 28% for the president. “The Orthodox Jewish population continues to be a Republican constituency. All others are very strongly Democratic,” Gerstein said.
Jewish voting followed similar lines for congressional races, with 72% casting ballots for Democrats and 24% for Republicans.
Jewish voters “do not want to send people to Congress who are going to support (Trump’s) agenda. We also know this was a sentiment across the country,” Gerstein said.
When asked to rate their feelings toward certain politicians and groups, only 21% expressed favorable emotions about Trump, 19% about the Republican Party and 45% about the Democratic Party.
Notably, 72% harbored negative feelings for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu compared to 49% who felt positivity toward Muslim New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, according to the study.
When asked to share which two issues were most likely to influence their votes in November, the “future of democracy” was far and away the leader, at 44%. The cost of living and economy followed at 34%, antisemitism at 21%, corruption at 18% and Israel at 14%.
Asked to state who has their sympathies in the Middle East, 39% said Israelis, 23% said Palestinians and 38% said both.
Support for Israel was strongest among Orthodox Jewish voters (75%) and Republican Jewish voters (94%), while the strongest support for Palestinians was among Jewish voters ages 18 to 34. That age group, at 60%, was strongest in the belief that military support for Israel should be ended outright.
Jeremy Ben-Amy
Respondents also were asked if they believe Jewish groups who label criticism of Israel as antisemitic are doing so as cover for unpopular Israeli policies. In response, 60% said yes and 40% said no. Another 80% believe Israel’s military action have stoked antisemitism in the U.S., compared to 20% who disagree.
The study makes clear that Jewish Americans do not want to be the pawns of President Trump and his allies in the U.S. or Israel, said Jeremy Ben-Amy, president of J Street, a U.S.-based group that advocates for a peaceful, secure and democratic Israel.
“Jewish voters overwhelmingly backed Democrats, strongly oppose President Trump and support holding the Israeli government accountable for its actions,” he said. “They want American leadership that advances peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians, and they are rejecting the idea that supporting Israel means writing its government a blank check.”