JPVP Roundup | Is the Roller Coaster Rider Nearing an End?

By | Sep 18, 2024

This page is part of Moment’s Jewish Political Voices Project. To visit the project, please click here.

When Moment began recruiting participants for its second Jewish Political Voices Project (JPVP) in the summer of 2023, the election season felt predetermined. President Joe Bidenwas the inevitable choice for Democrats and former President Donald Trump was the GOP front-runner. Fast-forward 14 months: Vice President Kamala Harris is the Democratic nominee after Democrats’ concerns over Biden’s age and his sinking poll numbers reached a breaking point with his poor debate performance in June. The following month, Trump survived a shocking assassination attempt. He turned in a shaky debate performance in September and continues to face a slew of criminal charges.

Meanwhile, the October 7 attack and ensuing Israel-Hamas war not only changed geopolitics but led to protests across the United States against Israel and Biden’s actions in the region. Protests on college campuses were particularly heated and led to accusations of widespread antisemitism against Jewish students.

For our JPVP participants, the course of the 2024 election cycle has been more dramatic than any of them could have imagined. Not surprisingly, many of our participants did not end up in the same political postures as when they started. One Republican is now committed to voting for Harris in order to safeguard the rule of law, despite disagreeing with almost every one of her policies. Meanwhile, another Republican, who liked Biden because of the president’s long support for Israel, has switched to Trump because he doesn’t trust Harris’s stance on Israel. And a Democrat went from undecided to “99.9 percent” for Trump because of his fears about the Jewish state and the current safety of Jews in America. As the election approaches, some of our participants are optimistic and others are downhearted. One woman interviewed commented, “It’s so exhausting. We can’t be fighting for our lives every election.” And a young first time voter observed that she has never lived in a period that didn’t feel politically fraught. One participant even compared this election cycle to a roller coaster. But will the ride stop on Election Day, or are we in for more twists and turns?

Meirav Solomon, North Carolina

“I’ve only lived through unprecedented times. I was five years old when Barack Obama was elected. I went through the Obama presidency, and then Trump and Biden. I’m used to there always being something politically dramatic around the corner.”

Read the full post here.

Chesky Blau, New York

“It’s a different roller coaster now. A lot of things have changed since a year ago.”

Read the full post here.

David Wolkinson, Florida

“I will vote for Donald Trump, because I’m concerned about how the Democrats will govern on Israel—especially with Joe Biden gone. Trump will be more supportive of Israel and won’t be pressuring them as much as Harris. Biden, in my opinion, has been uniquely pro-Israel, especially for a Democratic president in modern times. And I have no expectation that that would continue.”

Read the full post here.

Jeff Michaels, New Jersey

“I am kind of mortified that these are the two best candidates that are out there. The way we wound up with Harris on the ticket isn’t really fair. Nobody voted for her. It wasn’t like the president died in office. So for her to be the candidate without a single primary does make me upset. ”

Read the full post here.

Adam Witkov, Wisconsin

“I haven’t made up my mind, but I won’t vote for Trump. I’ll always vote, though, so it’s either Harris or writing-in one of my best friends. I voted for Biden in 2020. We don’t have to register by party in the state of Wisconsin. When we go to vote in a primary, we ask for either the Democratic or Republican ballot. And I’ve taken primary ballots from both parties in different elections.”

Read the full post here.

Abby Schachter, Pennsylvania

“Harris was not strong on foreign policy as a presidential candidate, and she was not selected by President Biden to be his running mate based on her foreign policy credentials. Those were his areas of expertise. She has not done anything, as far as I can tell, to distinguish herself as a foreign policy expert.”

Read the full post here.

Leah Kiser, Kentucky

“If Trump wins, I will have to send at least two of my kids—one is gay and one is trans— out of the country immediately, and then try to figure out how to follow myself.”

Read the full post here.

Jaclyn Best, Colorado

“I definitely worry about a lot of talk and potentially not a lot of action, and I also know a majority of Congress keeps agreeing to send money and weapons over to Israel, even while condemning Israel’s actions.”

Read the full post here.

Nina Stanley, Ohio

“Trump is the only president in the history of our country who didn’t allow a peaceful transfer of power and didn’t attend his successor’s inauguration. So how can you expect him to change?”

Read the full post here.

Deb Kolodny, Massachusetts

“I felt that the administration had kept Harris in the shadows even more than most vice presidents. But she’s come out of the gate with such vigor and brilliance, and her choice for VP is spectacular.”

Read the full post here.

Don Cohen, Michigan

“My hope is that Kamala will govern as a moderate and truly bring people together across the aisle to solve serious problems. My biggest fear is basically that the United States becomes rudderless and caters to division instead of governing. I fear continued paralysis and uncertainty of where we’re going and who’s actually leading us.”

Read the full post here.

Josh Mandelbaum, Iowa

“I continue to worry about the fundamental attacks on our institutions and how our democracy is run. I think the negativity and the chaos and the polarizing that comes with Trump extends beyond our politics. He plays to people’s worst instincts, whereas I think the contrast between him and the vice president has more to do with optimism and playing to people’s better side.”

Read the full post here.

Deborah Pardes, California

“I wish that we had a third party that could combine the heart of the Democratic Party with the grit of the Republican Party when it comes to this issue of protecting a minority like the Jewish people.”

Read the full post here.

Eva Cohen, Minnesota

“As somebody who identifies as a progressive, I feel like Harris represents the more progressive wing of the Democratic Party. I think she’s a very smart, very competent, and genuinely caring person, a true public servant. And I think she is someone who is committed to a vision of American prosperity and multiculturalism and the kind of positive, forward-looking, amazing things that resonate with people who share my values.”

Read the full post here.

Diana Leygerman, Pennsylvania

“I don’t think Trump cares about Israel or anything but himself. The Republican Party—and, to be fair, some of the people on the left—have used Israel for politics and Jewish people as a dog whistle. I’m not going to blame Jews who vote for Trump, because I understand why they’re doing it. But in terms of his policies, I don’t think Trump is a friend to Jewish people; he’s a friend to Netanyahu, and that’s about it.”

Read the full post here.

Aaron Weissman, Montana

“I’m not confident at all that we can survive unscathed. The transition of power is barely surviving at this point. The reality is the next three-to-six months are going to be a strong test of our commitment to our democratic principles.”

Read the full post here.

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