In its new ad released on Monday in time to air during Tuesday’s highly anticipated presidential debate, the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) is attempting to align Vice President Kamala Harris with far-left members of the Democratic party (Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) who have led opposition in Congress to Israel and its war against Hamas.
RJC, which is spending $15 million this election cycle to elect Donald Trump, allocated $10 million to running their new 30-second ad spot across Pennsylvania, Nevada, Michigan, Arizona, and Georgia.
“This is, by far, the largest and most comprehensive effort ever to turn out the Jewish vote for President Donald J. Trump,” RJC CEO Matt Brooks said in a statement. “Notably, the ad campaign will begin running during Tuesday’s Presidential debate between President Trump and Vice President Harris.”
The ad shows an undated post on X/Twitter from Omar that says, “Israel has hypnotized the world; may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel.”
“Kamala Harris embraces and defends the squad, even after Ilhan Omar made disgusting antisemitic comments,” the ad says over images and videos of pro-Palestinan protests. “Kamala Harris joined the squad in sympathizing with antisemitic, anti-Israel protests.”
“Kamala Harris is no ordinary Democratic,” the ad continues. “She stands with the squad, not with us.”
The RJC’s efforts to link Harris to the “squad” were prevalent throughout its leadership summit last week in Las Vegas, where Trump positioned Harris as a “radical-left Marxist” who would destroy America and allow terrorists to drive Jews out of Israel.
“You’re not going to have an Israel if she becomes president. Israel will no longer exist,” Trump told the RJC.
RJC’s ad rollout comes on the same day as the Jewish Democratic Coalition of America (JDCA) released its latest poll where 800 Jewish Americans were surveyed from August 27 through September 1.
The poll, conducted by GBAO, found 72% of Jewish voters back Harris, while only 25% support Trump in a head-to-head matchup, according to a release from JDCA.
Polls show majority trust Kamala
“Nearly all – 91% – of Jewish voters are concerned about antisemitism in the United States, and Jewish voters trust Kamala Harris more than Donald Trump to fight antisemitism by nearly a three-to-one margin (60% – 23%),” JDCA said. “Harris’s lead over Trump by a 47-point margin (72% – 25%) is an improvement from Biden’s 41-point margin among Jewish voters in April (67% – 26%) when compared to an April poll of Jewish voters conducted by the Jewish Electorate Institute (JEI).”
The reality of Harris’s relationship with “the squad” also presents a more nuanced story than what the RJC is portraying.
Harris and the Democratic National Committee disappointed the pro-Palestinian advocates and Uncommitted delegates within the party by refusing the National Uncommitted Movement’s requests for a speaking opportunity from the convention stage.
Many on the Left were also disappointed by Harris’s convention commitment to Israel’s self-defense and refusal of an arms embargo.
Tlaib’s sister, Layla Elabed, is the co-founder of the National Uncommitted Movement.
Ocasio-Cortez is at a crossroads with other “squad” members over her support of President Joe Biden, participation in a webinar about antisemitism, and saying on the convention stage that the Biden-Harris administration is doing everything it can to bring about a ceasefire.
Jewish Democratic groups lauded the Harris campaign and the DNC for their decision not to feature an Uncommitted delegate.