Vance woos Jewish voters in epicenter of Democratic fight over Israel

Vice President Vance, who has emerged as one of the GOP’s fiercest critics of Israel, is seeking to appeal to Jewish voters as both parties grapple with a growing political divide fueled by conflicts in the Middle East.

Vance is set to privately address the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) in Las Vegas after stumping with Michigan Republicans on Monday.

The vice president suggested during a June press briefing that Israel should not be critical of the U.S., referring to it as the country’s only powerful ally left in the world. Vance told podcast host Joe Rogan in July that there are individuals in the Israeli government who are seeking to “manipulate” and “change” U.S. public opinion on the war in Iran.

Vance also has been on the receiving end of criticism over his ties to figures like Tucker Carlson, who has platformed Nick Fuentes, a prominent Holocaust denier. Carlson received widespread backlash for hosting Fuentes on his show, sparking a schism in conservative circles.

“There is a fun house, or not very fun house, mirror flip side to what the Democrats are going through with Hasan Piker. It’s not too different,” Jon Reinish, a Democratic strategist, said of Vance and the GOP.

“With the vice president himself, there’s a lot more to the argument, including the company that he’s kept that has been very troubling,” he said, referring to Carlson.

Reinish added that Vance has a right to criticize the Israeli government, noting the country’s dependence on the U.S.

“I think this crosses partisan divides, too. If you’re going to depend on America, then business has to be conducted in a certain way. I don’t think either party is saying you continue to have a blank check from us,” he said.

Halie Soifer, the CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, agreed with the notion that anyone has a right to criticize the Israeli government but took issue with what she labeled as “conspiratorial claims,” including that Israelis have manipulated U.S. public opinion and tried to drag the U.S. into the Iran war.

While Vance received criticism from some members of the Israeli government for the comments, he’s also been defended by prominent Israeli figures.

Israel’s former minister of strategic affairs, Ron Dermer, praised Vance for his role in working with Israel during last year’s 12-day war between Israel and Iran that targeted Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

“Vice President Vance played a critical role in that 12-day war, and particularly the first day, where that element of surprise was so critical to our success, and I will be forever grateful for the role that he played at that critical moment. It kept Israel safe, and I commend you for inviting him here tonight,” Dermer said, speaking at the RJC.

However, Vance’s meeting with the coalition will be behind closed doors.

“I think the fact that RJC is trying to keep this speech under wraps says a lot about the concerns that Jews have with this White House,” Soifer said.

The vice president’s remarks to the RJC come as Democrats find themselves divided over Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, with El-Sayed’s critics arguing he has not done enough to speak out against antisemitism.

Prior to heading to Las Vegas to address the RJC, Vance rallied with Republican candidates Monday afternoon in Detroit and took the opportunity to swipe at El-Sayed.

“There’s something about Abdul El-Sayed that is very, very evil and on the rise in the United States of America today,” Vance said , referring to people who “see themselves as fighting for one group at the expense of others.”

El-Sayed responded to Vance in a statement, saying, “Michigan is better than being lectured to by sock puppets from Ohio.”

“Evil is ripping healthcare away from working people in exchange for tax breaks for billionaires. Evil is making people pay more for groceries and gas while pushing for trade wars and actual war. Evil is dividing people for your own gain. Evil is selling out your morals for a little bit of power,” El-Sayed said.

Vance also knocked El-Sayed for campaigning with Piker, a far-left Twitch streamer, during the Democratic primary and invoked Piker’s past comments saying the U.S. deserved the Sept. 11 terror attacks, a remark for which Piker has since apologized.

A number of prominent Democrats inside and outside of Michigan have also condemned Piker, particularly after Piker stated in a recent Twitch stream, “Jews in America keep putting this idea out there that they are singularly invested in Israel, eventually someone’s going to come around and take action.

“Not against the state of Israel, mind you, but against American Jews,” he continued.

The comments resulted in swift backlash from leaders and members on both sides of the aisle.

El-Sayed issued a statement saying, without naming Piker, that “nobody speaks for this campaign besides me and my campaign spokespeople.”

El-Sayed also noted his commitment to Jewish safety “is the same” as his commitment to the safety of his own daughters and referred to antisemitism as “a scourge.”

The Michigan Senate candidate spent much of the weekend meeting with members of Michigan’s Jewish caucus and apologized for comments in March following an attack on a Detroit area synagogue in which he said, “hurt people hurt people.”

“We condemned that terrorist attack. We condemned it outright. What I was trying to do was offer context for why it happened, but it wasn’t the time for context, and you don’t ever want to trample somebody’s pain,” El-Sayed told reporters over the weekend.

Vance, on the other hand, used the synagogue attack to hit El-Sayed at his campaign stop, telling supporters that the synagogue’s rabbi and security guards were present at the event.

But it’s El-Sayed’s ties to Piker that appear to have Democrats most divided.

“Hasan Piker is not running for Senate,” Reinish said. “I don’t think that Hasan Piker is the top issue in this race. How much things cost is the top issue in this race.”

However, Reinish argued that El-Sayed has taken good steps to appeal to the state’s Jewish community, warning the effort comes late in the game.

“El-Sayed has a lot of work to do there because Rogers is clearly very much trying to make inroads,” he said, referring to Republican Senate nominee former Rep. Mike Rogers (Mich.).

Soifer agreed El-Sayed has taken good first steps in appealing to the Jewish community but noted there are more steps he must take, including disavowing Piker.

“We can’t create a permission structure for that type of rhetoric, and he should denounce or disavow Hasan Piker’s views,” Soifer said.

The Jewish Democratic Council of America has not endorsed El-Sayed for Senate.

“He has to demonstrate a commitment to Jewish safety and security that goes beyond just words,” Soifer said, urging El-Sayed to “invest in rebuilding trust” with the Jewish community.