NC and Delaware elect Jewish governors, LA shul turns polling place, Jerusalem watch party
Plus: Paul Rudd pops up at polls in Philly, Tree of Life tribute, and more
Near midnight, Vice President Kamala Harris’s potential path to the presidency had narrowed sharply, with former President Donald Trump appearing ahead in the “blue wall” battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin as well as Georgia, and having been declared the victor in North Carolina. Early exit poll results showed that Harris drew 77% of Jewish voters, while Trump got 22%, which would be his worst showing among Jews in his three campaigns. The exit polls also had voters evenly split about whether U.S. support for Israel is too strong, not strong enough or just right.
Meanwhile, two states, North Carolina and Delaware, elected Jewish governors, and California Rep. Adam Schiff was elected to the United States Senate. More than 11,000 left-leaning voters, including many concerned about Harris’ support for Israel’s war in Gaza, participated in protest vote-swapping. Paul Rudd channeled Larry David and handed out water to waiting voters in Pennsylvania. And some wondered if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s firing of his defense minister was timed for Election Day to minimize attention.
Our journalists have been live-blogging all the Jewish angles throughout Election Day — and night. We’ve got interviews with voters in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, the Upper West Side of Manhattan and a synagogue-turned-polling place in LA’s most Jewish neighborhood, Pico-Robertson. Plus: What they ate a watch party in Jerusalem.
A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.
If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO