From TPM Reader RR, responding to Josh’s post here:
I live on the UWS and campaigned a number of days for Micah Lasher talking to a good number of voters. I have a bit of a different take on the Israel question. (For what it’s worth, I’m also a secular Jew.)
You wrote:
But the results in New York 12 (Lasher), New York 15 (Torres) and a bunch of other races shows that more conventional support for Israel is far from dead in New York City.
This doesn’t match what I heard from voters. A good number (including several last night who were making up their minds as they walked to the polls) asked “Does he take money from AIPAC” and were very clear that if he did that would be disqualifying. Another made clear her view that Israel, not Hamas, started the war on October 7, and that she wouldn’t consider voting for anyone who thought otherwise.
While I didn’t talk to voters in NY-10 (which Lander won) or NY-13 (Chevalier), my sense is that Goldman and Espaillat’s support of Israel was a fatal issue with voters.
This anti-AIPAC, anti-Israel view likely has elements of anti-semitism, but it is also held by a number of Jews on the UWS who are horrified at Israel’s conduct in Gaza. My sense is that while Mamdani clearly had a great night and showed the power of his endorsements (and was very prudent in avoiding NY-12 and some other races), the big tell from last night was how toxic Netanyahu and AIPAC are with Democratic voters. I expect this to be a factor in November as well not just in NYC.
