King’s Point (Credit: Matthew Kassel)

The special election to succeed the late Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) — which is likely headed for a recount after Tuesday’s results showed a virtual tie between Broward County Commissioner Dale Holness and healthcare executive Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick — presented candidates with an opportunity to shore up pivotal support from the Kings Point retirement community in Tamarac, Fla. The predominantly Jewish condominium complex, situated in deep-blue Broward County, is home to some 9,000 residents who represent a coveted swing vote, not least because, for decades, they have turned out in dependably large numbers, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports.

Candidate pilgrimage: The sprawling complex, about 15 miles northwest of Fort Lauderdale, has long been viewed as something of a campaign pilgrimage site for aspiring Democratic presidential candidates. In 2000, Al Gore made overtures to the Jewish community at Kings Point alongside former Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), his Orthodox Jewish running mate. The following cycle, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and other high-profile Democratic surrogates were on the ground in Tamarac, stumping for John Kerry. In 2008, Barack Obama courted the Kings Point community when his pro-Israel bona fides were in question among some Jewish voters in South Florida, and as a vice-presidential candidate in 2012, Joe Biden made sure he had paid a visit to the gated retirement complex, which is so vast it covers three voting precincts.

At your peril: “Not courting the vote in Kings Point in a special election occurs at your own peril,” Mitch Ceasar, the former longtime chairman of the Broward Democratic Party who founded the first Democratic club in Tamarac more than 40 years ago, said in an interview with Jewish Insider last week at his office in Plantation, just a few days before the primary. “Kings Point, historically, has a clear pattern of turning out.” Florida’s 20th Congressional District, which encompasses a number of African-American and Caribbean enclaves in Broward and Palm Beach Counties, is predominantly Black, and each of the candidates largely relied on a strategy of engaging their respective bases. But as in past elections, the sizable and politically active Jewish voting bloc in Kings Point was in some ways uniquely, if precariously, positioned to push one candidate into first place.

Deep divides: This cycle, the community fell short of exerting its political muscle as Jewish voters in Kings Point splintered, somewhat predictably, among several of the leading candidates in the deeply divided field. Despite outreach from candidates throughout the election, some Kings Point residents said they felt as if the engagement was largely superficial. “Kings Point is an afterthought,” said Stern, the retired civil servant from Brooklyn, who also voted for DuBose. He speculated, for instance, that state Sen. Perry Thurston, the only candidate in the race who represents the retirement complex, was “not relying on the Kings Point vote” as he built his coalition, though he did campaign in the community.

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Deborah Lipstadt attends a press conference for ‘Denial’ during the 11th Rome Film Festival at Auditorium Parco Della Musica on October 17, 2016 in Rome, Italy.

Senate Republicans are delaying the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from scheduling a confirmation hearing for Deborah Lipstadt, the administration’s nominee for special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, over past tweets authored by the Holocaust historian that were critical of some committee members, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.

Tweet troubles: “She has said enough things on Twitter that it needs to be reviewed carefully — particularly about members of the committee, which is always quite sensitive,” Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Jim Risch (R-ID) told JI on Wednesday. “So we’ll get through that… You’re going to see them all, I suspect, before it’s over with.”

Pushback: Committee Chair Bob Menendez (D-NJ) dismissed the GOP concerns in comments during a committee meeting on Wednesday. “The minority has refused to grant her a hearing, apparently because there is some concern about her tweets calling out the use of anitsemitic tropes,” Menendez said. “Let’s think about that [for] a minute. We don’t want the person nominated to advance our global efforts against antisemitism to call out antisemitism? I sincerely hope that’s not the position of the minority and that we can move these nominees forward expeditiously.”

The issue: While Menendez has the authority to unilaterally schedule a hearing, past committee chairs have typically prioritized bipartisan comity in committee business and have avoided such unilateral actions.

On the offensive: In March, Lipstadt criticized Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, on Twitter after the Wisconsin senator said that he “wasn’t concerned” during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, but would have been concerned if the participants were “Black Lives Matter and Antifa protesters.” Lipstadt tweeted, “This is white supremacy/nationalism. Pure and simple,” linking to an article about Johnson’s comments. Lipstadt also posted numerous tweets critical of now-Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), another committee member, during his 2012 presidential run about issues unrelated to antisemitism.

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Rahm Emanuel/Barbara Leaf

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee advanced the nominations of former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to be the U.S. ambassador to Japan and Barbara Leaf to be assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs to full Senate consideration on Wednesday, in a tense meeting marked by arguments over the delays faced by a number of foreign policy nominees, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.

Breaking ranks: Two Democrats, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Ed Markey (D-MA), broke with the party and voted against Emanuel, who has faced scrutiny from progressives over his handling of the 2014 shooting of Black teenager Laquan McDonald during his term as mayor. “Black Lives Matter,” Merkley said in a statement. “I have carefully considered Mayor Emanuel’s record — and the input of civil rights leaders, criminal justice experts, and local elected officials who have reached out to the Senate to weigh in — and I have reached the decision that I cannot support his nomination.”

Life raft: Despite the two Democratic defections, Emanuel’s approval appears to be safe for the moment, thanks to the support of Republican Sens. Jim Risch (R-ID), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jerry Moran (R-KS). During the meeting, Risch, the committee’s ranking member, spoke out in defense of Emanuel. “Mayor Emanuel and I disagree about most of our politics,” Risch said. “But we agree that Japan is the cornerstone of our Indo-Pacific strategy, and it is our greatest asset in the strategic competition with China.”

Contentious: The committee’s advancement of Leaf’s nomination to the full Senate was followed by a heated discussion between Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Chair Bob Menendez (D-NJ) about Leaf’s responses to written questions. Risch, Hagerty as well as Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI), John Barrasso (R-WY) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) voted against Leaf.

Shouting match: Despite his “no,” vote, Risch called Leaf “a qualified career diplomat… well-suited to lead this bureau” but added that he had “major concerns [with] where the administration seems to be going with this Middle East policy.” Cruz delayed the first scheduled committee vote on Leaf in late October, claiming she had failed to adequately answer or falsely answered several of his written questions. During the meeting, he reiterated those objections in a discussion that devolved at one point into a shouting match between Cruz and Menendez.

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Rep. Elaine Luria answers questions on a variety of topics during a town hall at New Hope Baptist Church in Virginia Beach, VA, on Thursday, October 3, 2019.

Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA) questioned on Wednesday morning whether House colleagues who voted against $1 billion in additional aid for Israel’s Iron Dome missile-defense system believe that Israel should exist, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.

Quotable: “There were some on the left who I think truly would prefer to say that Israel doesn’t have the right to exist,” Luria said at a Jewish Institute for National Security of America conference. The House voted overwhelmingly to support the supplemental aid — one Republican joined the eight Democrats, while 420 members voted in support of the measure. The appropriation is currently stalled in the Senate.

On the upswing: Luria, a former Navy commander, lamented what she sees as a significant rise in left-wing anti-Israel sentiment linked to the May 2021 conflict between Israel and terrorist groups in Gaza. “After this conflict, those on the political left — not just in the U.S., but around the world — the amount that people have villainized Israel for Israel’s right to defend themselves, has gone up precipitously,” Luria said, describing it as “a really dangerous trend.”

Inside the House: Luria also said that she has found that antisemitism and opposition to Israel has been more pervasive inside Congress than she expected. “Since I’ve served in Congress, it’s been quite surprising the amount of times that I’ve needed to stand up on the House floor and [defend Israel’s right to defend itself],” Luria said, noting that her first speech on the House floor was a response to “dual loyalty” claims from other Democrats.

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