Publicly alienating a key group of voters is not a winning strategy.
Yet the Democratic Party seems determined to make that mistake.
Over the past year, college campuses across the U.S. have become hotbeds of antisemitic hostility. Jewish students have felt unsafe. The Anti-Defamation League documented a 337% increase in antisemitic incidents at U.S. colleges in 2024.
Instead of confronting the issue, Democratic leaders have issued vague responses.
Many Democrats seem afraid to upset competing factions within their base.
That hesitation already cost them. In 2024, then Vice-President Kamala Harris tried to appeal to both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian voters.
She tailored her messaging based on location — pro-Palestinian in Michigan, pro-Israel in Pennsylvania. Many Jewish voters saw through it and felt abandoned.
The problem worsened when Harris passed over Gov. Josh Shapiro, D-Pa., a well-respected Jewish leader, as her running mate.
Instead, she chose Tim Walz, a governor with no special appeal to Jewish voters.
Nowhere is this failure clearer than at Columbia University. Protests escalated into outright support for Hamas.
Mahmoud Khalil, the Syrian student leading these demonstrations, praised the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks and called for Israel’s destruction.
Yet Democrats defend his right to stay in the U.S. as the Trump administration attempts to deport him.
If Khalil had led a white nationalist rally instead, no Democrat would be defending him.
Democrats have also allowed members of "The Squad" — a group of far-left lawmakers, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.; Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.; Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.; and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., known for their anti-Israel rhetoric, and support for socialism — to act as the de facto voice of the party.
Rep. Tlaib, Squad member, falsely claimed that Israel bombed a hospital in Gaza, killing 500 civilians — a claim debunked within hours.
She never retracted it.
Rep. Omar, another member, spread conspiracy theories about Jewish influence, tweeting, "It’s all about the Benjamins baby," (a quote from a 1997 song by rapper Puff Daddy).
Subsequently, Democratic House leadership issued a weak reprimand --- then moved on.
For decades, Democrats assumed Jewish voters had nowhere else to go. That assumption is falling apart. A growing number of Jews are reconsidering their loyalties.
This is not just about Jewish voters.
The refusal to take a strong stance on antisemitism reveals a deeper problem. Democrats are terrified of alienating their party’s leftmost wing, even when it embraces extremism.
That fear makes the Democratic Party look weak.
Americans want leadership, not politicians afraid to confront their own base.
We don’t want carefully balanced statements designed to avoid upsetting activists.
President Donald Trump, by contrast, acted decisively.
Within his first month back in office, he signed an executive order cutting federal funding to Columbia University over its failure to curb antisemitic protests.
He expanded civil rights investigations into universities tolerating antisemitic harassment.
His administration moved swiftly, ensuring American Jews feel safe in our country.
Democrats, meanwhile, hesitated.
Biden’s administration only moved to investigate campus antisemitism after intense public pressure. Even then, its response was muted compared to Trump’s.
Make no mistake, this is a political crisis. Jewish voters in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Arizona don’t have to shift dramatically to change the 2028 outcome.
A small shift could decide the election.
If Democrats want to win, they need real action:
- They must stop sending mixed messages on Israel.
- They must crack down on antisemitism on college campuses.
- They must stop excusing members of their own party who push antisemitic rhetoric.
Tlaib and Omar’s falsehoods and conspiracy theories cannot go unchecked.
Leadership must publicly condemn them and make clear that such rhetoric has consequences.
Democrats also need to stop taking Jewish voters for granted:
- They must actively engage with Jewish leaders and communities.
- They must show — through policy, not just words — that Jewish safety and security matter.
None of this is complicated. None of this should be controversial.
But if Democrats continue excusing antisemitism, they will lose.
Gregory Lyakhov is one of the youngest advocates for Israel. His work has been published in the New York Post, The Jerusalem Post, and several other Jewish outlets. He has also appeared on "Fox & Friends" to discuss key issues.
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