While the Republican Jewish Coalition does a good job of cultivating local and state level candidates in large cities, David Kustoff, who is one of two Jewish Republicans in the House, told The Jerusalem Post the group should focus on mid-tier communities where Jewish Republicans are interested in being part of the political process
Kustoff referenced cities in his home state of Tennessee, including Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville and Chattanooga, where there’s smaller Jewish communities but active participation with organizations like AIPAC.
To get more Jewish Republicans into Congress, Kustoff said, “We Jewish Republicans have to do a better job, starting at the local and the state level, so that we’ve got a training ground to have people work to run for federal office.”
“We need to build a bench, and that does start at the local and the state level,” he said. “But at the federal level, we also need to do a better job recruiting Jewish Republicans.”
There’s no doubt that historically Jewish people have voted Democrat more than Republican, Kustoff said, though this is the election where that dynamic can change and will change.
Momentum increase
Kustoff said the momentum surrounding Jewish Republican engagement is already felt.
“Their perspective has changed since the October 7 attacks, there’s no doubt about it,” he said. “I believe that there are a lot of people, Jewish people, in this country, that prior to October 7, they were more progressive, but they look at the party’s support. They look at Biden’s ambivalence and his back and forth on his commitment to Israel. The fact of the matter is that Republicans have been steadfast in their support of Israel up and down the line.”