While American evangelicals formed the base of Donald Trump’s political comeback, he was soundly rejected by American Jews, according to a new national survey.
Not only that, American Jews overwhelmingly oppose Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his handling of the war against Hamas.
The survey was conducted Oct. 30 through Nov. 5 among 800 self-identified Jewish voters who cast their ballots on Election Day or prior to Election Day. It was commissioned by the “pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy group” J Street and conducted by GBAO Strategies.
American Jews favored Democratic candidate Kamala Harris 71% to 26% over Republican candidate Trump. In the swing state of Pennsylvania, that 45-point margin expanded to a 52-point spread in favor of Harris.
By comparison, white evangelical voters favored Trump 82% to 17% for Harris, according to exit polling. That same exit polling shows an even sharper divide than the J Street poll, with Jewish voters going 80% for Harris and 20% for Trump.
“We know who will fight for our community, our safety, our values and our freedoms — and it’s not MAGA extremists.”
“Mainstream Jewish voters remain a steadfast pillar of Democratic support, rejecting the MAGA agenda despite cynical efforts to divide our community with fearmongering over Israel and antisemitism,” said J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami. “Even in high-stakes swing state Pennsylvania, support for Harris reached 75%, proving predictions of a shift entirely wrong. We know who will fight for our community, our safety, our values and our freedoms — and it’s not MAGA extremists.”
Jeremy Ben-Ami
Nationwide, Jewish voters supported Democratic congressional candidates 72% to 26% over Republican candidates.
“Harris’ 71% to 26% margin is remarkably consistent with previous Democratic performance,” said GBAO Strategies founding partner Jim Gerstein. “Harris’ dominant performance among Jewish voters is particularly notable in the context of the tens of millions of dollars Republicans spent seeking to define Harris as weak on Israel and antisemitism, which clearly failed.”
Protecting the future of democracy (58%) was the No. 1 reason Jewish voters cited for supporting Harris over Trump. Abortion rights came in second at 38%.
Only 14% of American Jews cited support for Israel among their top two motivators in voting.
Most American Jews favor diplomatic agreements to end the war that include concessions. That includes 68% supporting a two-state solution and 74% supporting a regional security agreement involving Arab states, led by Saudi Arabia.
The top item on American Jews’ wish list is something Trump is unlikely to do: Give a major speech proposing a Palestinian state and diplomatic relations between Israel and Arab states.
Support for Netanyahu has “cratered” among American Jews, the poll interpreters declared. Support for the hardline prime minister stands at only 32%, compared to 63% who do not support him.
“Jewish voters do not find it incompatible to be both pro-Israel and critical of Israeli government policy,” the report states. “Despite the trauma of October 7 and concerns over protests on college campuses, 90% of American Jews believe someone can criticize Israeli government policies and still be pro-Israel.”