WASHINGTON - The Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) announced a new round of endorsements ahead of the midterm elections in November. The group threw its support behind seven House candidates in New York, Alaska, Michigan, and Wisconsin, and two gubernatorial candidates in Florida and New York.
According to the announcement, the majority of candidates endorsed seek to represent districts or states with substantial Jewish populations.
“JDCA has now endorsed 123 House, Senate and gubernatorial candidates in 2022,” said Halie Soifer, CEO of JDCA. “That's more than we've ever endorsed in a single election cycle, and we plan on endorsing a handful of additional House candidates between now and November.”
How much will the JDCA spend on endorsements?
However, it is yet to be decided if the group will spend money to support those candidates. “JDCA PAC will decide if it will spend in any of these races,” said Soifer. “The overwhelming majority of its spending in 2022 has been focused on the Senate,” she explained.
According to Soifer, the relevant races represent a group “of increasingly competitive House races and two key governor's races.”
She said the group decided to focus on those nine races because they involve “Republicans who deny the outcome of the 2020 election and want to deny a woman's right to choose are running against Democrats who share our Jewish and American values.”
“We know these elections will be incredibly close, and every key constituency matters,” she continued. “That's especially true for Jewish voters, who have higher turnout rates than American voters generally and overwhelmingly vote for Democrats.
"In close races, the Jewish vote can and will make a difference for the Democrat and JDCA endorsee.”
Hailie Soifer
“We're proud to play a role in ensuring Democrats expand their congressional majorities in November by supporting candidates - such as these nine - who align with our values,” she added.
The announcement comes amid massive spending from several groups ahead of the elections. Last week, the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) announced a $1.5 million ad spending in Pennsylvania as the Senate race between Democrat John Fetterman and Republican nominee Mehmet Oz tightens. Recent polls suggest that Fetterman holds a narrow lead over Oz.
According to the RJC press release, the group’s Victory Fund announced the spending as part of an independent expenditure.