Americans head to the polls in races with massive implications for US-Israel policy
Control of Congress is up for grabs Tuesday following campaigns in which antisemitism, AIPAC and the Jewish state played starring roles.
(JTA) — Americans head to the polls Tuesday in a midterm election that could shift the balance of power in Congress in favor of the Democrats, a step that could also weaken U.S. support for Israel.
While Republicans control both chambers of Congress, as well as the presidency, polling ahead of Election Day has favored Democrats, suggesting they are likely to win control of the U.S. House of Representatives and could also win the Senate. The change would come at a time of sinking public support for Israel, particularly on the left, and rising antisemitism across the country.
Jewish Americans, who in past years have voted heavily for Democratic candidates, face candidates in many races who share their views on domestic policy but differ with them on Israel. In some cases, the contenders have made statements many Jews perceive as antisemitic or have alliances with personalities known for statements widely viewed as antisemitic.
Republican Jewish voters are similarly finding themselves choosing candidates who are likely to support their positions on Israel but in some cases have ties to white nationalism or to personalities also known for holding beliefs that are widely viewed as antisemitic.
Republicans now hold 53 seats in the 100-seat Senate, while the Democratic bloc has 47 members, including two independents who caucus with the party. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to seize control. Among the closely watched races are those in Alaska, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Ohio, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, New Hampshire and, more recently, Kansas. Democrats are defending seats in Georgia, Michigan and New Hampshire and seeking to flip Republican-held seats in the other seven states.
Additionally, the Florida race could put Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) member Angie Nixon in the Senate, and the Minnesota race could give progressive Israel critic Peggy Flanagan a seat.
Michigan’s Senate contest, in particular, has been among the most closely watched of these races and has strained Jewish relationships with the Democratic Party.
At its center is Abdul El-Sayed, the former county health director and Democratic nominee whose anti-corporate, Medicare for All candidacy has become a new rallying cry for the national progressive movement.
But his uncompromising stances against Israel – including his refusal to say at a recent debate whether it or Iran is a bigger threat to the United States – have also made him a cause for concern among pro-Israel groups. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has worked to defeat him and has backed his Republican opponent, Mike Rogers.
In Florida, a surprisingly strong showing by Nixon, a Democratic state representative, is giving sitting Republican Sen. Ashley Moody a run for her money in the red state.
Moody was formerly the state attorney general and was appointed to the Senate by Gov. Ron DeSantis in January 2025 after Marco Rubio vacated the seat to become secretary of state.
Nixon is a progressive state legislator, with a campaign focused on universal health care and free child care, who became a Democratic Socialists of America member this year. She was not endorsed by the left-wing political organization, but drew endorsements from a number of major progressive figures and campaigned alongside U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and former President Barack Obama.
Moody, who was endorsed by the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC and President Donald Trump, is a staunch supporter of Israel who has said she wants the U.S. to be “the most pro-Israel country in the world.” She also said that she “worked to make Florida the most pro-Israel state in the nation” as attorney general.
In Maine, Democratic candidate and strong Israel critic Troy Jackson, a former Maine Senate leader, is taking on Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, who has held the state’s U.S. Senate seat for 29 years.
Jackson opposes “giving a blank check” to Israel, saying that he does not want “any more offensive weapons going to murder people in Palestine.” He has also accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Collins, a GOP moderate, has been a staunch supporter of Israel throughout her Senate tenure.
In Texas, Democratic state Rep. James Talarico, a progressive who is making the Senate contest in traditionally Republican Texas competitive, is facing off against former state Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican.
Paxton, a hard-line Trump ally, strongly supports Israel, opposes the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and has spoken out against antisemitism. Impeached by the Texas House of Representatives in 2023, he was acquitted by the Texas Senate months later.
Talarico, for his part, is a Presbyterian seminary student who recognizes Israel’s right to defend itself and condemned the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks. But while Talarico supports U.S. defensive aid to Israel, he opposes sending Jerusalem offensive weapons.
In Georgia, incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff is ahead in polls against Republican Rep. Mike Collins. Ossoff, who is Jewish and widely expected to be a top contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, called Collins a “notorious bigot, antisemite, and extremist” during the bitterly fought election. Collins said that Ossoff “caved to the radicals” by voting to halt certain arms shipments to Israel, a move that alienated many of Ossoff’s supporters in the Jewish community.
In the House, Democrats need a net gain of three seats to secure a narrow majority of 218 seats in the 435-member body.
Among the competitive races is Wisconsin’s 3rd District, where Democratic challenger Rebecca Cooke is attempting to win back for Democrats a historically Democratic seat that flipped in 2022 with Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden’s electoral victory.
Cooke has said that she does not “think that we should send more military aid to the Netanyahu government invasion,” according to Jewish Insider. She is backed by J Street, while Van Orden has the support of the pro-Israel AIPAC lobby group.
Van Orden, who attended President Donald Trump’s Stop the Steal rally in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, is a vocal supporter of Israel and backs military funding for the country. He traveled there following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack.
A number of races also feature DSA candidates who oppose any military funding for Israel, such as New York’s 7th and 13th Districts, where the Democratic candidates Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier have both accused Israel of genocide in Gaza. California’s 34th District, Colorado’s 1st, Michigan’s 13th and Pennsylvania’s 3rd also feature DSA candidates. In Michigan’s 7th District, the progressive Democratic candidate William Lawrence wants to end military aid to Israel.
And there are also Republican candidates who have given some Jewish voters pause. In Texas’ 23rd District, Democrat Katy Padilla Stout is seeking to flip the seat in a race against Brandon Herrera, a Trump-backed hard-right influencer with a history of alleged antisemitic remarks.
Herrera has previously said he would “absolutely vote against” funding for “foreign conflicts,” including aid to Israel. He has shared jokes about the Nazis online, admitted to owning a copy of Mein Kampf and said that Jews “killed” Jesus, drawing harsh opposition from Jewish organizations.
Then there are the House races with strongly identified Jewish candidates, especially in Florida’s 25th District, where voters can choose between two Jewish pro-Israel politicians, incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz and former Republican Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer. PJC
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