Six Jewish takeaways from the US midterm elections

JTA – The sheer size and geographic scope of the Republican wipeout on Tuesday makes it hard to read anything definitive into the results beyond a nationwide repudiation of President Donald Trump (and his candidate selections). But the fallout will have a range of reverberations. Here are six takeaways that point to what comes next. 

A significantly weakened Trump doesn’t bode well for Netanyahu 

For Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump has been a longshot bet that keeps on paying off. It’s hard to overstate how significant Trump’s improbable wins in 2016 and 2024 were in bolstering Netanyahu’s domestic standing and regional agenda. Trump also served as a security blanket, leaving Netanyahu and his allies with a sense that they need not worry too much about skyrocketing Democratic and international anger with Israel. 

Whether Netanyahu holds on or chief rival Gadi Eisenkot succeeds in replacing him, Israel is entering uncharted territory. There is little chance that the combination of a weakened Trump and an emboldened Democratic Congress produces similar levels of support for aggressive action against Iran and its proxies, and other policies that a wide spectrum of Israelis see as crucial to their security. 

Jeffries and Schumer have a massive headache coming their way 

With Tuesday night’s Democratic wave, Hakeem Jeffries is on track to become Speaker of the US House of Representatives and Chuck Schumer will likely get a second shot as US Senate Majority Leader. These New Yorkers have longstanding ties to the pro-Israel community and are among their party’s strongest Israel supporters, putting them at odds with the growing number of congressional Democrats who want their party to take a much harder line against Israel. It won’t be long before members in each caucus are demanding concrete action, including meaningful limits on US military sales. 

Both Democratic leaders have ratcheted up their criticism of Netanyahu and his government in the wake of its war on Hamas in Gaza, but they have ultimately voted against various legislative attempts to punish Israel. As leaders of their respective chambers, Jeffries and Schumer will face immense pressure for more such votes and face much tougher scrutiny from the party base over continued support for Israel. 

The impact of the anti-Israel vote was diluted 

On the other hand, the massive Democratic victory dilutes the power of the anti-Israel lawmakers in Congress. Their numbers will grow, causing problems for party leaders trying to keep anti-Israel measures off the agenda. But they will remain a relatively small subset within a much larger Democratic majority that includes many moderates and Israel supporters. 

Not only will anti-Israel members have less ability to hold Congress hostage, the overall issue of Israel loses some of its potency when the broader political winds indicate that all Democrats were boosted. 

Fetterman just lost his juice 

Just as the sizeable Democratic House majority makes Jeffries less dependent on anti-Israel lawmakers in his caucus, the next Senate Majority Leader won’t need to rely on Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman. For years, Fetterman has been driving fellow Democrats crazy with his cosying up to Republicans, with progressives especially upset over his die-hard support for Israel. Fetterman has even said that the one thing that could cause him to leave the Democratic Senate caucus would be his party turning decisively against Israel. 

Had things broken differently, with Democrats grabbing a narrow 51-49 majority in the chamber, Fetterman’s influence would have been hypercharged. Now, not so much. 

AIPAC has not found a formula for success 

A few years back, the leading pro-Israel lobby decided the best way to counter the initial anti-Israel rumblings in Congress was to jump deep into the campaign fundraising business. Hundreds of millions of dollars later, the number of Israel critics in Congress has grown, with a fresh batch on the way. Moreover, in many races, anti-Israel candidates and AIPAC critics managed to turn the lobby’s backing into a liability. 

Meanwhile, Trump’s seemingly impromptu announcement on Tuesday that his administration would end aid to Israel after this year suggests that Republican backing for such support is dropping alongside Democrats’. And Tuesday’s results suggest AIPAC’s strong support for the US and Israeli military strikes against Iran is out of step with the American public and many incoming lawmakers. 

It was a great night for Jewish presidential hopefuls 

Senator Jon Ossoff says he isn’t running for president in 2028. But that won’t stop the speculation from skyrocketing after his impressive re-election in Georgia, with nearly 60% of the vote. More importantly, he probably just grabbed frontrunner status in the race to become America’s first Jewish president. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro registered a similarly sized re-election victory in a state that Trump won just two years ago, but Ossoff – a fierce Trump antagonist and, increasingly, a critic of Israel’s military actions – cemented his rock star status among Democrats this cycle and has demonstrated an ability to bridge the gap between younger progressives and more traditional liberals. 

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker also cruised to re-election. In Michigan, moderate Elissa Slotkin, another senator and likely presidential hopeful, may have at least propped open the door to some progressive support by campaigning hard for Abdul El-Sayed. 

• The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SA Jewish Report, JTA, or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.