Nikki Fried, the Jewish chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party, told Jewish canvassers in her state that the party was losing Jewish voters because of the robust Republican response to pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses.
Fried’s ostensible pep talk to canvassers seeking to reach undecided Jewish voters, coming Wednesday evening in a Zoom call organized by Florida Jewish Democrats, was unusual in her candid expressions of concern that Republicans have made gains with a constituency that has traditionally voted overwhelmingly Democratic.
A narrative of Jews who identified as progressive or left-leaning feeling alienated by the left since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, is widely established, and Republicans have sought to peel away Jewish votes because of it. Fried’s comments represent a rare acknowledgment by Democrats of a potential impact at the ballot box.
Fried said doubts about Democrats have spread beyond “Republican Jewish friends” who have historically been the “outliers” in a constituency that has long been reliably Democratic.