Jewish Vote More Democratic Than Previously Thought; Party Pledges to “Fight For Every Vote”

This week, news sources including the Los Angeles Times and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported that a new analysis of 2004 poll data shows that even more American Jews voted Democratic than previously thought.

A whopping 77 percent of American Jews voted for Senator John Kerry in 2004, according to the new survey by The Solomon Project; when weighing only votes cast for the two major parties, 78 percent of American Jews voted for Kerry.

This strong Jewish vote occurred despite an unprecedented smear campaign waged against Senator Kerry in the Jewish community. NJDC worked to expose the lies and educate American Jews about the facts -- acting as a truth-squad where necessary, and exposing right-wing hypocrisy. And Jews rejected this smear campaign. As the Los Angeles Times noted, the study "found little movement toward Bush among American Jews." (Click here for more on the survey itself)

Why did so many Jews vote for Senator Kerry, and why -- as the analysis indicates -- have American Jews so reliably voted Democratic?

In addition to having a perfect record on Israel, the priorities and values of the 2004 Democratic presidential candidate -- like his predecessors -- agree with the values of the vast majority of American Jews. And Democrats went after every vote in the Jewish community in 2004, taking no vote for granted -- even the votes of strong supporters and friends in the Jewish community.

Or as Democratic National Committee Chairman Gov. Howard Dean said yesterday in response to the survey, "Even with the overwhelming support of Jewish Americans, Democrats will continue to fight for every vote in the Jewish community." (Click here for Gov. Dean's full statement)

Please read on for excerpts and links for related press reports.

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From the Los Angeles Times, April 12, 2005:

"Jewish voters remained overwhelmingly Democratic in the 2004 presidential election, but President Bush made inroads with those who attend religious services most often, according to a study to be released today. ...The new study, conducted by the Solomon Project, a Washington-based group encouraging civic involvement by the Jewish community, reexamined the results by factoring in hundreds of Jews that the National Election Pool surveyed in state exit polls but did not include in its original number. After that recalculation, the study concluded that Kerry's percentage was slightly larger than originally reported, at about 77% to 22%. Either way, the results represented only a small change from the last few elections. ..."

To read the full article, please click here.

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From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, April 12, 2005:

"A new analysis suggests that Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) garnered 77 percent of the Jewish vote in last November's presidential election. ...Previous reports had suggested Kerry received 75 percent of the Jewish vote, compared to 25 percent for President Bush. The report also found that Republicans have made gains among Jewish men and among those who attend synagogue on a regular basis, particularly the Orthodox."

To read the full article, please click here.