New York – The Jewish Democratic Coalition of America announced its endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday evening, hours after President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the presidential race.
In a statement, JDCA said it commends Biden’s leadership in “passing the torch to Vice President Harris, who has a strong record of standing with Jewish Americans.”
The group said it was proud to endorse Harris’s “historic candidacy for president” and remained deeply committed to ensuring the Democrats hold the White House, win back the House, and defend the Democratic majority in the Senate.
JDCA CEO once served as Harris's national security adviser
JDCA CEO Halie Soifer, who served as Harris’s national security adviser when the vice president was in the Senate, described Harris as a “deeply committed and principled public servant who will continue to advance the policy priorities of all Americans, including Jewish Americans, building on the strong record of the Biden-Harris administration.”
Soifer said that in 2017, she traveled with then-Sen. Harris and Second Gentleman Emhoff to Israel and witnessed their “deep commitment to Israel’s security and strong ties to the Jewish community.”
“Since they began serving in the White House, we have been grateful for the vice president and second gentleman’s staunch leadership on issues of importance to Jewish Americans, including launching the first-ever National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism and standing with Israel,” Soifer said.
She added, “JDCA is mobilizing Jewish voters across the country, especially in the battleground states where it matters most, to support Vice President Harris’s path to victory.”
While not endorsing Harris, the Jewish Council of Public Affairs released a statement praising Biden as an “extraordinary president and public servant.
“From the historic national strategy to counter antisemitism to his broader leadership to protect democracy and fight hate, we are enormously grateful to him for this unparalleled legacy,” the statement said.
In another statement, JCPA CEO Amy Spitalnick said, “Biden has been an extraordinary president and an extraordinary public servant. We owe him a massive debt of gratitude for all he’s given this country. Full stop.”
The American Jewish Committee, a nonpartisan organization, called Biden a “lifelong friend of Israel and the Jewish people.”
In a statement, AJC said Biden has been and remains a consequential president, “standing with Israel as it fights back against terror, pursuing regional integration and peace, putting forward an ambitious all-of-government plan to combat antisemitism, and defending threatened democracies and democratic values against the forces of tyranny.”