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Wind Election Report #8: An Update of the 2020 Election
A newsletter focusing on the 2020 election and American Jews
New Polling Data:
This week, a new election poll was released by the Jewish Electorate Institute. Here are its top findings:
67% of Jewish voters disapprove of President Trump’s job performance. This is about 15% higher than the American electorate as a whole.
70% of Jewish voters view Joe Biden in favorable terms, more than 20% higher than the American electorate.
Biden overwhelmingly leads President Trump on every issue, including Israel.
Kamala Harris matches Biden in favorability among Jewish voters.
90% of Jewish voters said the federal government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic is an important issue to consider when deciding which candidate to vote for.
A majority of Jewish voters believe that Trump deserves the greatest blame for the spread of coronavirus, and less than a quarter of Jewish voters trust Trump on the federal government’s response to the coronavirus.
More than 80% of Jewish voters believe the rise of anti-Semitism and white nationalism are very important issues to consider when deciding which candidate to support. Nearly two-thirds of Jewish voters trust Joe Biden more on anti-Semitism, and one quarter of Jewish voters trust Donald Trump.
Most Jewish voters feel less secure than they did four years ago, and a majority believe they will be less safe if Trump is reelected.
88% of Jewish voters self-identify as pro-Israel, and a majority of Jewish voters are critical of at least some of the current Israeli government’s policies. Democratic and Republican Jewish voters identify as pro-Israel at the same level.
Jewish voters prioritize domestic policy issues over Israel when asked which issues are most important. Less than one-fifth of respondents said Israel is the one of the most important issues when deciding which candidate to support.
The Israel-UAE agreement had no effect on a majority of Jewish voters’ view of Donald Trump. Jewish voters trust Biden more than Trump on Israel.
Unlike other constituencies, most Jewish voters plan to vote BEFORE election day AND feel comfortable with non-in-person voting methods.
New Articles on the Election:
This week, addressing Jewish leaders in advance of the New Year, the President restated his case for being the “best President” in support of Israel.
Eric Yoffie, writing in Haaretz, contends that Jews will overwhelmingly embrace the Biden campaign.
How important is Israel to American Jewish voters? This opinion piece examines new data on where the Jewish State fits in.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/what-does-the-us-2020-election-day-mean-for-israel-640401
Steven Windmueller is the Rabbi Alfred Gottschalk Emeritus Professor of Jewish Communal Studies at the Jack H. Skirball Campus of HUC-JIR. His writings, including his previous Wind Election Reports can be found on his website: www.thewindreport.com.