Daily Kickoff

Trump’s Oval Office tish

Plus, Dave McCormick on beating antisemites

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on March 31, 2025 in Washington, DC.

By

JI Staff

September 3, 2026

Good Thursday morning.

In today’s Daily Kickoff, we report on mounting criticism of Vice President JD Vance‘s silence on Tucker Carlson at the Republican Jewish Coalition summit and interview North Carolina Republican Senate nominee Michael Whatley, who is emphasizing his support for Israel as he seeks to attract votes from the state’s Jewish community. We talk to Jewish graduate students who met with congressional offices to advocate for the Jewish American Security Act and share their personal experiences with antisemitism, and speak with Marcy Grossman, the new director of the American Jewish Committee’s Abu Dhabi office. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Sen. Dave McCormick, Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed al Nahyan and Rep. Jahana Hayes.

Curated by JI Israel Editor Tamara Zieve and U.S. Editor Danielle Cohen-Kanik, with an assist from Marc Rod.

Ed note: The next Daily Kickoff will arrive on Tuesday, after the Labor Day weekend. We will be publishing stories and updates throughout the weekend on our Live Briefing, which you can access via our app and website.

For less-distracted reading over the weekend, browse this week’s edition — a curated print-friendly PDF featuring a selection of recent Jewish Insider and eJewishPhilanthropy stories, including: Michigan AG Nessel tells Jewish Democrats to put ‘needs of world’ ahead of ‘our own survival’; Style Across the Aisle puts Jewish pride on the runway; and Prizmah CEO marks 10 years of boosting America’s Jewish day school system.

Read the latest edition →

Today’s Agenda

President Donald Trump will host several Hasidic rabbisin the Oval Office today to convey his Rosh Hashanah greetings.

Vice President JD Vance will deliver a White House press briefing this afternoon, the first in over a month and since former White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stepped down last week.

The House is expected to vote today on the Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act, bipartisan legislation that would require universities to certify annually that they are not engaged in a “nonexpressive commercial boycott” of Israel in order to be eligible to receive federal student aid funding.

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ANALYSIS

The elephant in the room for JD Vance

Vice President JD Vance boards Air Force Two on August 31, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. (Saul Loeb-Pool/Getty Images)

By Marc Rod

Vice President JD Vance’s fireside chat with Republican Jewish Coalition Chairman Norm Coleman was met with a largely positive response in its immediate aftermath, with RJC board members largely agreeing that the event had helped Vance alleviate concerns among top Jewish Republicans, particularly about where he stands on Israel and antisemitism.

Several board members came out of the speech, which took place on Monday night at the RJC’s leadership summit in Las Vegas, saying they’d be prepared to support Vance if he runs in the 2028 presidential election.

Yet even shortly after the conversation, some observers, including some who were otherwise broadly supportive of Vance’s remarks, said that his comments — or lack thereof — on one issue had disappointed members of the crowd: Tucker Carlson.

Read the full analysis →

The Big Reads

Republican reckoning

Sen. Dave McCormick: Republicans need to electorally ‘beat the s**t’ out of antisemites

Asked how he thinks the Republican Party can stop antisemitic figures from being elected in the Republican Party, Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) told Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod the GOP should continue to “beat the s**t” out of them” — electorally. “We live in a country where you get to express your ideas, no matter how horrific and hateful those ideas are, and where anybody can run for office,” McCormick said on the sidelines of the Republican Jewish Coalition’s conference over the weekend. “That’s the country I want to live in. But the way that you ensure those ideas don’t get a foothold is you beat the s**t out of them. You beat them in elections. You beat their ideas with better ideas. … Within the Republican Party, we need to have that discipline.”

Read the full story →

Hill huddle: Forty Jewish graduate students gathered on Capitol Hill on Monday for the Jewish Grad Organization’s Partners Summit carrying stories from campuses where they had felt increasingly isolated, targeted or ignored. They met with congressional offices throughout the day to advocate for the Jewish American Security Act, where they told JI’s Matthew Shea that they received a warm reception.

ANALYSIS

The elephant in the room for JD Vance

Frustration has grown in pro-Israel conservative circles over Vance's refusal to condemn Tucker Carlson by name, particularly after his RJC summit appearance

Saul Loeb-Pool/Getty Images

Vice President JD Vance boards Air Force Two on August 31, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.

By

Marc Rod

September 3, 2026

Vice President JD Vance’s fireside chat with Republican Jewish Coalition Chairman Norm Coleman was met with a largely positive response in its immediate aftermath, with RJC board members largely agreeing that the event had helped Vance alleviate concerns among top Jewish Republicans, particularly about where he stands on Israel and antisemitism.

Several board members came out of the speech, which took place on Monday night at the RJC’s leadership summit in Las Vegas, saying they’d be prepared to support Vance if he runs in the 2028 presidential election.

Yet even shortly after the conversation, some observers, including some who were otherwise broadly supportive of Vance’s remarks, said that his comments — or lack thereof — on one issue had disappointed members of the crowd: Tucker Carlson.

Coleman posed a broad question to Vance about a range of right-wing commentators including Carlson, Joe Rogan, Megyn Kelly and Nick Fuentes, asking how he decides whether to engage with them.

Vance focused his answer on drawing a spectrum between the often-apolitical Rogan and the white nationalist, neo-Nazi Fuentes. He said he believes in most cases, like Rogan, that it’s better to engage and use their platform to get his message out. But he said that there are other figures like Fuentes — whom Vance proactively condemned even before Coleman posed the question — whose views and comments are so abhorrent that he won’t engage with them.

He acknowledged that many in the room might disagree with comments by Carlson or Kelly but did not say anything specific about Carlson’s antisemitic turn or whether he remains willing to engage with him.

There’s been intense focus on Vance’s relationship with Carlson in light of his past defense of the commentator as a “friend of mine” who should not be expelled from the conservative movement and whom he would not throw “under the bus” — even as Carlson’s podcast has become a platform for virulently antisemitic rhetoric and Holocaust-denying content. In 2024, Carlson was reportedly a key advocate for Vance to get the VP slot.

More recently, Carlson has withdrawn his support for President Donald Trump, a break that was made clear after Trump’s declaration of war against Iran earlier this year — an aspect of their relationship Vance hasn’t yet addressed.

In the days since Vance’s appearance at the RJC, frustration and concern has grown in Jewish and pro-Israel conservative circles about Vance not directly addressing Carlson in his answer.

“If you truly oppose antisemitism say, ‘I reject and condemn antisemitism in all its forms and in every way.’ That wasn’t too tough,” conservative talk show host Mark Levin wrote on X on Tuesday. “And this, ‘I will not tolerate those who say antisemitic things and promote Jew-hatred, and that includes Tucker Carlson and his ilk.’ Very easy. Simple. Clear. Straightforward. Is that expecting too much from any Republican official? I think not.”

Vance’s office did not provide comment on those criticisms.

Vance’s remarks, including during his answer about the podcasters, also raised some eyebrows for the way he used the terms “blood libel” and “blood guilt” interchangeably, referring to, as he described it, punishing individuals for their heritage or ancestry.

Blood libel, particularly in the context of antisemitism, refers specifically to the centuries-old myth of Jews murdering non-Jewish children to use their blood in religious ceremonies.

Carlson, meanwhile, leveled a broadside against the RJC in response to an inquiry from Politico. “An organization that promotes and defends genocide is continuing to insist that they’re the real victims? I can’t imagine who buys this nonsense anymore,” he told the outlet.

JI asked Vance’s office for the vice president’s response to Carlson’s attack against the organization in front of which he just spoke, but did not receive a response.

Republican Reckoning

Sen. Dave McCormick: Republicans need to electorally ‘beat the s**t’ out of antisemites

McCormick also offered a strong defense of America’s role in the world and commitment to its alliances

Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Washington AI Network

Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) attends the Pre-Alfalfa breakfast hosted by Washington AI Network at Ned's Club Washington, D.C., on Jan. 31, 2026 in Washington, DC.

By

Marc Rod

September 3, 2026

LAS VEGAS — Asked how he thinks the Republican Party can stop antisemitic figures from being elected in the Republican Party, Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) said the GOP should continue continue to “beat the s**t” out of them — electorally.

McCormick, speaking to Jewish Insider on the sidelines of the Republican Jewish Coalition’s conference this weekend, pointed to Rep. Randy Fine’s (R-FL) decisive victory over a neo-Nazi candidate in Florida last month as one such example.

“We live in a country where you get to express your ideas, no matter how horrific and hateful those ideas are, and where anybody can run for office,” McCormick said. “That’s the country I want to live in. But the way that you ensure those ideas don’t get a foothold is you beat the s**t out of them. You beat them in elections. You beat their ideas with better ideas. … Within the Republican Party, we need to have that discipline.”

He said he applies the same logic to beating “these horrible antisemitic ideas on the left with better ideas on the right.” Speaking to the RJC, he argued that the Democratic Party, up to and including its leaders, have made excuses for antisemitism and given it a home in their party, as well as become consumed with an obsession with Israel.

McCormick, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Middle East subcommittee, told JI that the U.S. should continue to use “any tools at our disposal” against Iran, particularly keeping economic pressure on the regime.

“I think this is all hopefully coming to a fork in the road where the leadership can choose a path to giving up a path to a nuclear weapon and giving up any nuclear weapon program, or continued pressure,” he said.

If Iran refuses to concede, he said the U.S. should continue its campaign with a focus on economic tools and use military force “selectively,” for instance if Iran attempts to place more mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

“It’s a combination of economic and military tools, just with the explicit goal of putting added pressure on the leadership,” McCormick said.

He acknowledged that the war is having impacts at home, particularly at the gas pump, but said he tells constituents that there’s no doubt that Iran would have had a nuclear weapon and the ability to utilize it if the U.S. didn’t take action, so he supports President Donald Trump’s decision to strike.

“There’s trade-offs involved, but I think it was the right step to take,” he said.

During his remarks to the RJC, referencing the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), McCormick made a case for continued U.S. engagement in the world as a source of American strength, an idea that he said is under attack from figures on both sides of the aisle.

“Our commitment to freedom is therefore not simply an ideal; it’s a source of national power,” McCormick said. “That doesn’t mean we impose freedom on the world by force, but it does mean we should cherish it everywhere and support it when prudent in the coldest realpolitik terms. A freer world makes America stronger.”

And, he said, “a strong America also requires a commitment to take threats seriously, and when necessary, use force to eliminate them.” He said that the U.S. must take its adversaries seriously when they threaten the country and warned such actors that doing so invites American retaliation.

“Credible deterrence requires the willingness to act,” McCormick continued, “and when all other options are exhausted, it requires us to put our men and women in uniform in harm’s way.”

He also argued that the U.S.’ commitment to strong alliances has been a source of strength. McCormick said that Israel has been a “model ally” but that even close allies can and will have disagreements, and described “tough love” as an important element of any relationship with an ally.

Asked by JI whether he was referring to any specific disagreements with Israel, McCormick said he was not but explained that “we shouldn’t misunderstand a deep-seated friendship and alliance where we’re deeply committed to one another with agreement on everything,” going on to suggest that the “media or the narrative” will take any disagreements out of proportion.

He said that such disagreements should not undermine overall confidence in the strength of the U.S.-Israel relationship.

McCormick indicated that he supports the effort to phase out U.S. military aid in the coming years, but said that increased cooperation going forward in the next generation of warfare, including drones and AI, will be crucial.

“There’s no better wingman in some of the operations that we’ve undertaken than the State of Israel,” McCormick said. “So I think the the next step will be to figure out how to ensure that coordination is happening in the most effective way possible — and I’ve read some of the criticisms around this discussion — in a way that doesn’t sacrifice any autonomy or independence on the part of the United States or on the part of Israel for that matter.”

The Pennsylvania senator said one of his key priorities for the rest of the year is trying to secure energy permitting reform, which he called “the single most important thing we could do for the U.S. economy, global security and the AI revolution” to ensure the U.S. can keep pace in computing power. He said the issue crosses multiple domains, including his work on the Middle East subcommittee.

Daily Kickoff

Vance holds his cards in Vegas

Plus, no gala for Galliano

Jim Watson - Pool/Getty Images

U.S. Vice President JD Vance gives remarks following a roundtable discussion with local leaders and community members amid a surge of federal immigration authorities in the area, at Royalston Square on January 22, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

By

JI Staff

September 1, 2026

Good Tuesday morning.

In today’s Daily Kickoff, we cover Vice President JD Vance’s speech yesterday to the Republican Jewish Coalition, as well as his campaign rally in Michigan, where he called the state’s Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed “very, very evil.” We report on Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s call for Jewish voters to put “the needs of the world” above their own survival, and talk to pollsters about voters’ considerations in the upcoming Israeli election. We also speak with former White House officials and regional analysts about whether Washington’s economic campaign and naval blockade against Iran are yielding dividends. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Leo Terrell, Josh Kushner and Ambassador Marcy Grossman.

Curated by Israel Editor Tamara Zieve and U.S. Editor Danielle Cohen-Kanik.

Today’s Agenda

It’s primary Election Day in Massachusetts, where Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) is hoping to fend off a challenge from Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), who has called for generational change in the race.

This morning, a House Foreign Affairs Committee subcommittee is holding a hearing on the threat posed by the Houthi terror group to U.S. interests in the Red Sea.

Finance ministers from the G-20 countries are wrapping up a summit in Asheville, N.C., where Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters yesterday he’s aiming in his meetings to shore up support for the U.S.’ economic isolation campaign against Iran.

Meanwhile, the leaders of China, Russia, India, Iran and several other countries are in Kyrgyzstan wrapping up their own meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a group meant to counter U.S. global influence.

From there, Chinese President Xi Jinping is headed on a three-day state visit to Cairo, his first in a decade, as the two countries mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations and as Egypt increasingly balances its long-standing ties to Washington against a deepening partnership with Beijing, now its largest trading partner.

UNLIKELY ALLIES

Sheehy warns of ‘red-green alliance of convenience’ between left and Islamists

The Montana GOP senator: ‘What was once the intellectual property of liberal elites is metastasizing into a generational rejection of Israel, of Jews, and of American global power’

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-MT) during a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee confirmation hearing in Russell building on Dec. 3, 2025.

By

Marc Rod

September 1, 2026

LAS VEGAS — Speaking at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual conference in Las Vegas, Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-MT) warned of a “red-green alliance” between the far left and Islamists that has fueled antipathy against the Jewish people and America.

“These two forces should be natural enemies. One denies God; the other claims exclusive possession of Him. One worships the collective; the other commands submission to a caliphate,” Sheehy said. “Yet they have formed a red-green alliance of convenience, united by one thing: shared hatred of the West, of capitalism and of the Jewish people, who stand as living proof that a people can thrive anywhere despite any oppressor.”

He said that he’s seeing patterns that played out across the world in the 1970s, including in the Iranian revolution, unfolding on American college campuses and across the country.

“Radical progressive movements march under the banner of decolonization while providing political cover for those who openly celebrate the massacre of Jews and the destruction of the only Jewish state in history,” Sheehy said.

He described higher education as the “point of fatal penetration,” funded by taxpayer dollars and philanthropy, which have “fueled an engine of Marxism and Islamism gilded as credentialism.” He said that this alliance is using tools including universities, podcasts and mass migration to tear down the United States, in lieu of the terrorist tactics of prior ages.

“Generations of young adults and their families have been mortgaged to student debt, while Marxist and anti-Western indoctrination became the primary byproduct,” Sheehy said. “Deranged hatred of Israel has been their most valued product. What was once the intellectual property of liberal elites is metastasizing into a generational rejection of Israel, of Jews and of American global power. Young Americans, products of this infected system, have been conditioned to blame their grievances on a fictitious global elite led by Israel and the Jews.”

But he also acknowledged that such problems aren’t exclusive to the left, with the same antisemitic conspiracy theories, isolationist sentiments and collectivist impulses pushing into the fringes of the right.

“Antisemitism has repeatedly been the early warning system for far worse,” Sheehy said. “Antisemitism is never merely hatred of Jews; it is the asset that dissolves the restraints of civilization and paves the way for tyranny. The standing of the people of Israel and the Jewish people worldwide is therefore not political convenience or strategic calculation. It is fundamental morality.”

He said that abandoning Israel would be a signal that the West “no longer believes its own story” and that the United States has abandoned the values of the Constitution. And he said that embracing isolationism and leaving allies to face threats alone is a “capitulation,” a betrayal of U.S. interests and global leadership.

Sheehy drew a comparison between President Donald Trump’s efforts to confront Iran to President Thomas Jefferson’s efforts to combat the Barbary Pirates in the early years of the United States.

“Like our current president, he took decisive action despite allied and congressional opposition to protect Americans and American interests. It was the right decision. It sent a message that our nation was here to stay,” he said.

Sheehy also said that U.S. adversaries in Russia and China are using Iran to divide and weaken America. And he said that if the U.S. can come together and show strength, it will inspire other U.S. allies to “retake their nations as well.”

COURTING SKEPTICS

Vance speaks out against antisemitism, avoids controversy in RJC remarks

Confronting a skeptical crowd, the vice president expressed support for Israel and the Jewish community; he wasn’t pressed directly on his past comments and affiliations that have most concerned Jewish Republicans

Nic Antaya/Getty Images

U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks during a rally at Universal Contracting and Urban Tree Trimming on August 31, 2026 in Sterling Heights, Michigan.

By

Marc Rod

September 1, 2026

LAS VEGAS — Vice President JD Vance stuck to a pro-Israel line and rejected antisemitism in remarks on Monday to the Republican Jewish Coalition, avoiding any new controversies while not being pressed directly about some of his past comments and affiliations, including with Tucker Carlson, that have most concerned Jewish Republicans.

Attendees, with some exceptions, largely said that the speech helped Vance reassure skeptical Jewish and pro-Israel Republicans and boost his support with the RJC crowd ahead of a potential 2028 presidential bid.

Vance, in an off-record conversation with RJC Chairman Norm Coleman, audio and a transcript of which were leaked shortly after his remarks, was asked about a list of antisemitic influencers including Carlson and Nick Fuentes and his decisions about how to engage with those figures. He didn’t directly address Carlson — who he has previously defended as a friend — in his response, instead highlighting differences he sees between figures like Fuentes (who he tagged as antisemitic) and Rogan (who he said wasn’t).

“One area where I really do draw the line is on people who engage in what I call this blood libel attitude. I recognize a lot of people in this room might disagree with things that Tucker Carlson or Megyn Kelly or Joe Rogan has said, but — just to hone in on Fuentes and Rogan, I think these are two very, very different categories of people, both with their reach, but also within the ideas that are in their actual head,” Vance said.

Regarding Rogan, he said that he thinks the best approach is to engage and make his case and try to reach his audience. Fuentes, he said, is a substantively different case who is not worth engaging with given both his neo-Nazi views and his personal attacks on Vance and his family.

“But outside of some pretty bright lines, I try to talk to as many people as I can,” Vance continued.

Vance also highlighted a “growing suspicion” among the under-40 generation of the U.S.-Israel relationship and said that he believes that the best way to make the case for the relationship is to “actually get out there and talk about the ways in which it is in the best interest of the United States of America,” highlighting advanced missile defense technology as one example.

He said that other arguments that may have “made a lot of sense rhetorically 30 or 40 years ago” may not have the same appeal to young people today.

Asked about his past comments that Israeli and U.S. interests don’t always align, the vice president said that Israel is important to U.S. national security and among the U.S.’s most critical alliances, as well as undergirded by a “deeper cultural symbiosis and harmony.”

Vance was not directly asked about his recent comments accusing the Israeli government of conducting influence operations in the U.S. to undermine negotiations with Iran.

Vance suggested that Israel’s focus on the Middle East and the U.S.’s desire to shift away from a two-decade focus on that region is “a natural place in which Israel is going to look at these things slightly differently than the United States of America. … The most important thing is to say that there are alignments of interest across a whole host of issues.”

Towards the end of his remarks, Vance said that he sees antisemitism as having increased primarily as a result of immigration and the “importation of large groups of people who bring their ethnic rivalries” rather than changing sentiments in the American populace.

The vice president emphasized that he and the entire administration “love” the Jewish community and “you will very much always be on the team so long as I have any say in it.”

He argued that antisemitism — or the idea of punishing anyone for their genetics or ancestry, which he referred to as “blood libel” or “blood guilt”— is anathema to his Christian faith. He also highlighted past conversations with conservative activist Charlie Kirk about how antisemitism is “corrosive to the soul.”

“I think the antidote to antisemitism is the rejection of this idea of blood guilt,” Vance continued. “And I would tell any young man who claims to be a Christian that this is super corrosive for the soul.”

Vance said he feels a personal affinity and connection between the Catholic and Jewish religions and sees similarities between the two faiths — noting that he participated in a reading at the Orthodox Jewish wedding of his former chief of staff, Jacob Reses.

Vance, who spent the day on the campaign trail in Michigan with former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI), called Rogers “the single most important candidate right now in this midterm election” and El-Sayed “one of the worst disgraces running in the history of the American political process.”

“You don’t see a bunch of innocent Jewish kids who almost lose their lives and empathize with the killer unless you see those people as less than human,” Vance said, referring to El-Sayed’s response to the attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Mich., in March.

Several RJC board members, all speaking in their personal capacities, and other attendees largely said that Vance’s remarks had helped his case with the Jewish community.

“His sincerity was appreciated, and his comment that the under-40 generation doesn’t have the same emotional or historical attachment to Israel so must be met where they are was correct,” Joshua Katzen, an RJC board member told Jewish Insider. “The audience was relieved.”

Katzen told JI prior to Vance’s speech that the remarks would be an opportunity to alleviate concerns from RJC members, and his remarks earned repeated standing ovations from the crowd.

“I am going to support him,” Yitz Applbaum, another RJC board member, told JI. “He is definitely strong on the U.S.-Israel relationship and totally understands the issues, especially with the youth and how we need to work to do away with antisemitism with people under 40. [That was] a very key part of what he talked about.”

Sander Gerber, also an RJC board member, told JI, “Vice President Vance spoke to an enthusiastic room who understands that the American Jewish community is a core part of the political future of our country. I applaud the VPs statements repudiating antisemitism on the right.”

Bobby Schostak, an RJC board member and former Michigan Republican Party chairman, said that the RJC is “honored to have [Vance] here” and that Vance “made clear his positions … there was nothing concerning to me overall.”

“I think he needs to continue to reach out to us and us to him,” Schostak continued. “We have a good understanding going forward, but I didn’t find anything there, you know, alarming or concerning.”

Stuart Weil, an RJC member from California, told reporters that Vance’s remarks confirmed to him that any potential issues were a result of media distortion of Vance’s record.

“I will gladly support JD Vance as president of the United States,” Weil said. “As a big supporter of Israel, I believe that JD Vance will make a wonderful president. … He just reinforced what I already know.”

Not everyone was won over by Vance’s comments, however, with one attendee expressing disappointment with his failure to repudiate Carlson directly. “He was given the opportunity to call out and separate himself from Tucker. To the disappointment of many, he ducked the Tucker issue altogether,” the attendee told JI.

Schostak also acknowledged that others in the room might not have been satisfied with Vance’s answer.

“He addressed it as the elephant in the room. … I think the way he responded was, ‘It was important to not ignore all factions of opinion,’” Schostak said. “I don’t know how well that was received.”

Radio host Sid Rosenberg, who in remarks before the RJC earlier in the day urged the audience to “give Vance a chance,” said that he was disappointed by Vance’s remarks.

“He was not strong enough on Israel. In fact he referred to Israel as ONE of our best allies. One of?” Rosenberg said on X. “He had a chance to hammer [Carlson] and [Kelly] but instead spent all his time defending [Rogan] over Nick Fuentes. He also blamed immigration for a lot of the antisemitism in our country today. Silly. Look, he’s still better than any Democrat candidate but I don’t think he wowed the STRONG Jews in the room tonight.”

RJC CEO Matt Brooks and other members of the group’s leadership offered strong praise and support for Vance during a press conference following the session.

“Coming into a room that many would say had not necessarily known who JD was and what was in in his heart, or would be coming in skeptical to learn more — I think he really connected very very well with the audience tonight,” Brooks said.

Ari Fleischer, an RJC board member and former White House press secretary, told reporters that Vance “really helped himself tonight” and “answered a lot of the questions that people had about where his heart is.” He added that repeated appearances will help the crowd grow more comfortable.

“Today was not primary day, but I think today was progress day for JD Vance with the Jewish community,” he said.

Vance entered the room facing a divided crowd — with some in the audience skeptical of the vice president given his ties to Carlson, his public criticisms of Israel, his approach to negotiations with Iran and a host of other issues.

Uniformly, RJC board members and Jewish Republican elected officials said that Vance’s appearance at the RJC was a positive sign for him and for the Jewish community and that they were grateful that Vance was coming to address the crowd.

“I was surprised yet pleased to see that he’s coming,” Katzen said ahead of the speech. “I doubt that the vice president is coming to tell us that he thinks that Tucker Carlson’s view of Judaism is correct. He’s not here to tell us that. I have to think that he’s here to build bridges. I wonder how explicit he’ll be in rejecting the antisemites associated with Tucker Carlson.”

He said that Vance “must understand that he’s walking into 750 people who are very skeptical about his support” — largely because he “failed to respond when offered the opportunity” to people who have made antisemitic comments — so RJC members want him to address those concerns.

“I think his remarks can make all the difference,” Katzen said, noting that Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s name received loud applause from the RJC audience, while the same was not true of Vance.

“He can fix that tonight, and I hope he will. I would much rather have the Republican Party choosing between two excellent candidates [in 2028], especially the Jews in the Republican Party,” Katzen said. “I don’t want the Jews to feel like there’s only part of the Republican Party that is a home for them, because the Jews have no home in the Democratic Party.”

He said he would still prefer Vance to any Democrat.

RJC board members who spoke to JI otherwise generally declined to speculate about Vance’s potential presidential ambitions or the 2028 race, arguing that it’s too early to consider that election. Vance was the only anticipated 2028 hopeful who attended the conference.

Board member Eric Levine said ahead of the speech that it’s an “affirmatively good thing” that Vance is speaking to the RJC because it shows that the Jewish community and the U.S.-Israel relationship matter to him — particularly when juxtaposed with the increasing hostility toward Israel on the Democratic side.

Levine said that Vance has been helping President Donald Trump advance his Middle East policy — “and there has been no more pro-Israel president in the history of our country than Donald Trump.”

“Having said that, it’s a fool’s errand to just deny reality,” Levine continued, referring to Vance’s “relationship and association with Tucker Carlson,” who he said is indistinguishable from Nick Fuentes, former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Hasan Piker, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. “So it’s unhelpful to have a relationship with Tucker Carlson, but that’s up for the vice president to navigate.”

He said he didn’t expect a sweeping statement from Vance either in defense or denunciation of Carlson.

Others said they had fewer concerns about the vice president going into the speech, but saw it as an opportunity for the vice president to mend fences with those in the RJC crowd who were concerned.

Schostak said before the event that it was “terrific” and an honor for Vance to appear, and said that it was an opportunity to start a process of strengthening his relationships with members of the RJC and reassuring those who do have concerns.

“This is a process. You’re not going to do everything in 45 minutes, but I think he’s going to show us, honoring us by being here and showing us that he cares about the American Jewish community and its fight against antisemitism and its support and his support for Israel’s right to defend itself and its self-determination,” Schostak said.

He said that the appearance was a “starting point to have those discussions for people that have any doubts or concerns” but he also argued that those concerns are largely based on incomplete comments.

“I think people are hearing things out of context. They’re getting three-hour podcast sections sliced and diced and put into a digital feed,” he said. “And I just think that unless you are hearing in its entirety, it’s hard to draw an honest conclusion.”

Applbaum before the event said he didn’t share the concerns of some other RJC members, but that he hoped the speech would provide an opportunity for Vance to assuage their concerns.

Applbaum emphasized that Vance’s association with Trump and his policies gives him strong credibility and credentials — ”they’re great for Israel, they’re great friends with the Jewish people in Israel.”

Brooks said that the RJC, not Vance’s team, decided to close the event to the press, so that Vance could “talk to the people in the front of the room in a way that wasn’t through the filter of the people on the press risers in the back of the room.”

Brooks and Fleischer downplayed the event’s significance as a stop on the 2028 presidential election trail, emphasizing that the speaker list had been selected with an eye toward the upcoming midterm elections, rather than the next presidential race.

Disclaimer: Yitz Applbaum serves as Jewish Insider’s wine columnist.

QATAR QUANDARY

Huckabee calls out Qatar, Muslim Brotherhood for influencing U.S. universities

The Trump administration has maintained close ties with Qatar and praised it as a key U.S. ally

Alex Wong/Getty Images

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee looks on during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on April 23, 2026 in Washington, DC.

By

Marc Rod

August 31, 2026

LAS VEGAS — U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, speaking at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual conference on Monday, condemned Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood for their spending to influence U.S. education with anti-Israel sentiment.

The comments were notable given that the Trump administration has maintained close ties with Qatar and praised it as a key U.S. ally, even as the White House has designated branches of the Muslim Brotherhood, which Qatar supports, as a terrorist organization.

“There’s an enormous amount of cold, brutal cash that’s being poured into Middle East studies into the U.S. — the propaganda campaigns funded by the Muslim Brotherhood, Qatar and other countries, who have poured billions of dollars to impress young minds,” Huckabee said, addressing a question from RJC CEO Matt Brooks about anti-Israel sentiment.

Huckabee also blamed social media and the United Nations and non-governmental organizations for promoting hostility to Israel.

The U.S. ambassador has previously made similar comments in an interview with Jewish Insider linking foreign spending by Gulf states in U.S. education to declining support for Israel among young evangelical Christians, without singling out Qatar specifically.

Good Monday morning.

IIn today’s Daily Kickoff, we cover comments by Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual leadership summit in Las Vegas and preview Vice President JD Vance’s fireside chat at the event tonight. We talk to Jewish Democrats in Michigan about Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed’s apology for equivocating in response to a terrorist attack against a Michigan synagogue in March, and spotlight New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin and City Comptroller Mark Levine’s upcoming appearances on the Style Across the Aisle runway at the Metropolitan Opera House next week. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Brian Poindexter, Eyal David and Brett McGurk.

Curated by Israel Editor Tamara Zieve, with an assist from Danielle Cohen-Kanik.

Today’s Agenda

We’re watching developments in the Middle East after hostilities briefly renewed between the U.S. and Iran on Sunday: After CENTCOM targeted two Iranian launchers on Larak Island that it said were preparing to deploy mines in the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran fired missiles at U.S. forces in Jordan and a drone at the UAE, most of which were intercepted. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the U.S. strike killed and wounded “several of our fighters and compatriots.”

Later Sunday, President Donald Trump posted AI-generated footage to Truth Social, claiming it showed “Kharg Island being blown to smithereens,” a statement dismissed by an Iranian official as “laughable,” according to Reuters.

The Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual leadership summit continues today in Las Vegas. This morning’s plenary will feature remarks from House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA); acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling; Lee Zeldin, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency; U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee; Sens. Dave McCormick (R-PA) and Tim Sheehy (R-MT); former Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer; Ohio GOP gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy; Michigan GOP Senate nominee Mike Rogers; DOJ Task Force to Combat Antisemitism Chair Leo Terrell; Kentucky GOP congressional nominee Ed Gallrein; former Auburn University men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl; and Magen David Adom Global President Gilad Erdan, among others.

In the evening, Vice President JD Vance will speak at a closed-door VIP gala, where President Donald Trump will deliver videotaped remarks as part of a memorial and tribute to the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Read more below.

The House Rules Committee will consider the Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act, which requires universities to certify annually that they are not engaged in a non-expressive commercial boycott of Israel in order to be eligible for federal student aid.

One Thing To Know

ANALYSIS

Vance faces key test at Republican Jewish Coalition summit

US Vice President JD Vance speaks during a press briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on June 18, 2026. (Ken Cedeno / AFP via Getty Images)

By Marc Rod

LAS VEGAS — The Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual leadership summit kicked off in the blazing heat of Las Vegas on Sunday, with a series of speeches by pro-Israel House members and Senate candidates, including Georgia GOP Senate nominee Mike Collins, North Carolina GOP Senate nominee Michael Whatley and senior GOP lawmakers including Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Lisa McClain (R-MI).

The program is set to continue on Monday with video remarks by President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and in-person speeches by other major Republicans in pro-Israel politics.

But the most anticipated remarks of the day will be one the public won’t be able to see, a closed-door appearance by Vice President JD Vance at a Monday night VIP gala. It will be Vance’s first address to the group as vice president.

Read the full analysis →

The Big Reads

TOO LITTLE TOO LATE?

El-Sayed’s apology to Jewish Democrats draws mixed response

Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan, expressed regret for equivocating in response to a terrorist attack against a synagogue outside Detroit in March, while speaking at the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus’ annual “Summer Simcha” event on Sunday, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports. El-Sayed reiterated his recent comments in which he said he had “made a mistake” in his initial statement on the violent attack targeting Temple Israel, a Reform synagogue in West Bloomfield. Joan Lowenstein, a caucus member, said that Jewish Democrats remain divided after the event. “No one I spoke to had changed their mind as a result of his speech yesterday or today,” she told JI. “I think we are evenly divided.”

Read the full story →

DAMAGE CONTROL

Rep. Mike Collins calls former staffers’ antisemitic views ‘abhorrent,’ offers no vetting changes

Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) on Sunday disavowed the antisemitic views and white nationalist affiliations of several former staffers and said that he understands why Jewish voters are concerned, but also suggested there was little he could have done to identify those red flags in the hiring process, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports from the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual leadership summit in Las Vegas. Collins, the GOP nominee for Georgia’s Senate seat, has been mostly quiet publicly about the repeated disclosures concerning his former staffers — as well as his son-in-law — and is working to court Jewish voters concerned about Sen. Jon Ossoff’s (D-GA) record of voting against aid to Israel on multiple occasions. “Those staffers — those views are abhorrent, and they don’t represent my values,” Collins told reporters. “And you can look at my voting record.”

Read the full story →

THREADING THE DIVIDE

Style Across the Aisle puts Jewish pride on the runway

When New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin walks the runway at the Metropolitan Opera House next week, she will be dressed by Israeli American designer Elie Tahari. The pairing is driven by their shared history of entrepreneurship and building success from the ground up, but amid heightened antisemitism, the moment also spotlights two proud Jewish and Zionist New Yorkers, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports. Now in its third year, Style Across the Aisle — set to coincide with New York Fashion Week — pairs 30 local and state elected officials with New York City designers based on shared geography, heritage or life experience.

Read the full story →

Fashion faux pas: The Metropolitan Museum of Art is facing mounting backlash over its plans to honor British fashion designer John Galliano — who was convicted more than a decade ago of a hate crime in France for antisemitic remarks.

The Rundown

EXCLUSIVE

Brandeis Center presses Education Department over repeated delay in foreign funding reports

OHIO HOT SEAT

As Brian Poindexter surges against Miller in Ohio, his Israel stance remains unclear

ON THE HILL

Gallego leads Senate Democrats calling for halt to E1 settlement construction plans

See all of today’s JI stories →

On Our Radar

● The Live Briefing. Word on the street, clips, podcasts and quick updates — the items we’re tracking all day in our Live Briefing on the app (on Apple and Android) and website.

President Donald Trump is reportedly set to meet with a delegation of prominent Hasidic rabbis and heads of rabbinical schools at the White House on Thursday. Rabbi Aharon Teitelbaum, the Satmar rebbe of Kiryas Joel, confirmed that he had received an invitation to the meeting, according to Arutz Sheva…

Democratic Majority for Israel CEO Brian Romick on Sunday condemned Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank villages of Qusra and Jalud as “appalling and indefensible,” welcoming the Israeli government’s condemnation of the attacks but stating that “words must be followed by actions”…

Asked by CNN whether he would welcome AIPAC’s support in the New Hampshire Senate race, Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH) said: “Well, look, I welcome the support of individuals. And I’ve shown I’m willing to take on the Netanyahu government, to support legislation and to support efforts to restore stability and an opportunity for peace and a two-state solution in the Middle East”…

Former Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday endorsed Pappas, who is facing a primary challenge on his left from progressive activist Karishma Manzur…

New York City congressional nominee Brad Lander, who defeated Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) in a primary where he criticized the incumbent’s support for Israel, was accosted with antisemitic vitriol by protesters at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. The protest was held to rally opposition against an event of Indian Hindu nationalists; several told Lander they didn’t want any “Zionists” supporting their cause…

Potential 2028 presidential candidate Rahm Emanuel told “Fox News Sunday” that he doesn’t consider the Democratic Socialists of America part of the Democratic Party…

Emanuel and his brothers, Ezekiel and Ari, are donating $500,000 to fund the training of 11 pediatric doctors and 36 pediatric nurses from An-Najah University Hospital in Nablus at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov), according to Politico’s “Playbook”…

Semafor interviews Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who recently suggested that American Jews who express support for Israel are inviting violence against themselves. Following backlash from Democrats, Piker defended his comments as misunderstood…

A new poll conducted by the Jewish People Policy Institute found that 54% of connected American Jews want Israel’s current opposition to win the coming election, compared with 14% who favor the governing coalition…

The U.K.’s Board of Deputies and the Jewish Leadership Council warned that the British government’s anticipated ban on trade with West Bank settlements could further strain U.K.-Israel relations and may have harmful consequences for British Jews…

Trump amplified a proposal — pushed by the National Association of Christian Lawmakers — to create an expedited legal pathway for Jewish Canadians to relocate to the U.S. amid what the group calls a disproportionate surge in antisemitism in Canada…

U.S. officials are concerned that America’s ability to deter China and Russia has been diminished after the war with Iran drained munitions stockpiles in Europe and Asia — including PAC-3 Patriot interceptors and ATACMS missiles, now at levels officials call “beyond critical” — that could take years to replenish, The Wall Street Journal reports. The White House and Pentagon have denied any shortage…

The Daily Mail spotlights French Israeli former hostage Mia Schem, the tattoo artist abducted from the Nova music festival on Oct. 7, 2023, and released after 54 days in Gaza, and the modeling career she’s built since…

Eyal David announced on Sunday that he has begun a new position as deputy consul general of Israel in New York, having concluded a term of a year and nine months as policy advisor in the Foreign Minister’s Bureau. David previously served as deputy chief of mission in Rabat, Morocco, and Nairobi, Kenya…

Worthy Reads

Find more Worthy Reads in our Live Briefing via our app (on Apple and Android) and website.

Detroit Defectors: The Detroit News’ Nolan Finley spotlights Metro Detroit Jewish Democrats lining up behind Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers in his race against his opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, whom they see as a threat to Israel and to the safety of the Jewish community. “Amid reports of a rift between Rogers and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which supported El-Sayed’s Democratic primary opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens, with $60 million in spending, local Jews are committing to a major effort to elect Rogers. And the push is largely led by those who, in the past, have been generous donors to the Democratic Party. ‘A party has to understand that there are consequences when it moves away from the values that brought us to it,’ [Brian] Hermelin said in an email about the fundraiser. ‘For me, this Senate race is that point.’” [DetroitNews]

Winning the War?: On CNN, Brett McGurk, who formerly served in senior national security positions, challenges the narrative that Iran has won the war with the U.S. “The earlier acts in this war were mired from the US side by shifting and ill-defined objectives, widely careening positions, and inconsistent statements. But Act Four seems different. The US military has a clear objective as outlined this week by the commander of CENTCOM, Admiral Brad Cooper. It is enforcing the blockade on Iran and facilitating the movement of commercial traffic. The objective for the US should be similarly well-defined. Iran must abandon claims on the Strait and give up the nuclear enrichment program. Until then, this will be the new status quo. And that status quo — perhaps for the first time since the war began — now favors Washington, not Tehran.” [CNN]

Patience is a Virtue: Adolfo Franco, a Republican strategist who served as a surrogate for President Donald Trump’s 2016 and 2024 presidential campaigns, argues in Al Jazeera that the president’s pressure campaign against Iran is working to weaken the regime. “The lesson of the past six months is not that pressure has failed to produce capitulation. It is that pressure takes longer than a news cycle to produce capitulation from a radical theocratic regime that is willing to reduce its populace to bare subsistence rather than compromise. … Six months into the conflict, the US has not won this war. But it has made winning it, at last, a realistic prospect rather than a forlorn hope, a hard-earned, bitter lesson after decades of failure by successive US administrations too eager for compromise and agreements with a regime that had no intention of honouring them.” [AlJazeera]

Picture of the Day

Defense Ministry Director General Amir Baram (left) and his Greek counterpart, Ioannis Bouras, signed an approximately €3 billion “Achilles Shield” defense export agreement on Monday in a ceremony at the ministry’s headquarters in Tel Aviv. According to the ministry, this is the largest defense export deal in the history of Israel-Greece relations, and will see Jerusalem build Athens a multilayered air-defense array based on Israeli systems architecture. In addition, a supplementary deal valued at €26 million was signed during the meeting for Greece to purchase Rafael’s Drone Dome systems. Israeli Ministry of Defense

Birthdays

CAP D’ANTIBES, FRANCE – MAY 22: Yael Shelbia attends the amfAR Gala Cannes 2025 presented by Chopard at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc on May 22, 2025 in Cap d’Antibes, France. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for amfAR)

Howard Crim

Itzhak Perlman, world-renowned violinist and conductor, turns 81

Joseph Rafalowicz, attorney and a member of the boards of UJA-Federation of New York and JCRC-NY

Lowell Ganz, screenwriter for theater, television and film, turns 78

Steve Soboroff, former Los Angeles police commissioner, turns 78

David Blumenthal, healthcare policy expert, his brother is Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), turns 78

Hugh Politzer, 2004 Nobel laureate in physics and professor at California Institute of Technology, turns 77

Iris Krasnow, professor emerita of journalism and women’s studies at American University and author of seven books on marriage and relationships, turns 72

Rabbi Jonathan I. Rosenblatt, former rabbi of the Riverdale Jewish Center in New York, turns 70

Ahmed Zayat (a/k/a Ephraim David Zayat), owner of thoroughbred racehorses including the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, turns 64

Mark L. Walberg, television host including “Antiques Roadshow” and “Temptation Island,” turns 64

Yossef “Joseph” Cedar, Israeli American film director and screenwriter, turns 58

Shaney Fink, gold medalist in volleyball at the Maccabiah Games in 1997, she is currently the VP for athletics at Seattle University, turns 54

Lyudmila Milman, physician assistant now serving as a senior clinical director at NYC’s Mount Sinai Medical Center

Sam Little, English golfer, he won five tournaments on the PGA European Challenge Tour, turns 51

Sivan Beskin, Israeli poet, translator and literary editor, turns 50

Jessica Raimundo, communications director at the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union

Nick Horowitz, group director at Real Chemistry

Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, crown prince and prime minister of Saudi Arabia, colloquially known as MBS, turns 41

Bennett E. Resnik, SVP for critical infrastructure at Venn Strategies

Thomas Kaplan, standards editor at The New York Times

Asaf Zamir, deputy mayor of Tel Aviv, turns 46

Deryn Sousa, AIPAC’s national spokesperson

Laura Adkins, director of content and editorial strategy at the Anti-Defamation League

analysis

Vance faces key test at Republican Jewish Coalition summit

Vance is facing what’s likely to be, at minimum, some skeptics in the crowd, given his relationship with antisemitic commentator Tucker Carlson, his involvement in peace talks with Iran and his public criticisms of Israel

Ken Cedeno / AFP via Getty Images

US Vice President JD Vance speaks during a press briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on June 18, 2026.

By

Marc Rod

August 31, 2026

LAS VEGAS — The Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual leadership summit kicked off in the blazing heat of Las Vegas on Sunday, with a series of speeches by pro-Israel House members and Senate candidates, including Georgia GOP Senate nominee Mike Collins, North Carolina GOP Senate nominee Michael Whatley and senior GOP lawmakers including Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Lisa McClain (R-MI).

The program is set to continue on Monday with video remarks by President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and in-person speeches by other major Republicans in pro-Israel politics.

But the most anticipated remarks of the day will be one the public won’t be able to see, a closed-door appearance by Vice President JD Vance at a Monday night VIP gala. It will be Vance’s first address to the group as vice president.

Vance is facing what’s likely to be, at minimum, some skeptics in the crowd, given his relationship with antisemitic commentator Tucker Carlson — attendees at last year’s RJC conference brandished “TUCKER IS NOT MAGA” placards — his involvement in peace talks with Iran and his public criticisms of Israel.

The session will be a major test for the vice president in front of large GOP donors and national party activists ahead of his anticipated 2028 presidential run. Vance’s remarks could help soothe fears among pro-Israel Republicans, or they could further fuel their anxieties and prompt them to consider efforts to oppose his candidacy.

Three Jewish Republican House members who spoke to Jewish Insider on Sunday agreed that it’s a positive sign for both Vance and the RJC that he’s traveling to Las Vegas to make the address.

Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL), who acknowledged that he’s been critical of the vice president at times, told JI he’s “glad that he’s coming” and “interested to hear what he has to say,” adding that the vice president “has a big hill to climb coming into this room” but he hopes for the sake of the Republican Party that Vance is successful.

“He could make his problem better, he could make his problem worse. I have no idea what he’s going to say, but I do think it’s a good thing that he’s coming,” Fine continued. He said that Vance should address “his relationships with evil people, starting with Tucker Carlson … who’s clearly an insane Jew hater.”

Vance’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Rep. David Kustoff (R-TN) also said he’s “glad that the vice president is here, and I think that that speaks volumes.” He said he expects Vance will address the “strong relationship that the United States has enjoyed with Israel, and that it should continue, and that we need to do what we need to do to ensure that Iran does not get a nuclear weapon.”

Rep. Craig Goldman (R-TX) agreed it’s a good sign that the RJC is welcoming Vance, and predicted that many in the crowd will be surprised by the vice president. “He’s nothing but impressive, he’s smart as a whip and he knows the issues. And so I hope he’s very upfront. … I know he’s going to do a tremendous job, and he’s very direct and very honest. And I know he will be with the RJC as well.”

DAMAGE CONTROL

Rep. Mike Collins calls former staffers’ antisemitic views ‘abhorrent,’ offers no vetting changes

Asked whether he plans to change his vetting procedures for staff, Collins said, ‘I can’t see into the future’

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) speaks during a news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center on a resolution "stating that President Donald Trump did not engage in insurrection," on Tuesday, February 6, 2024.

By

Marc Rod

August 31, 2026

LAS VEGAS — Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) on Sunday disavowed the antisemitic views and white nationalist affiliations of several former staffers and said that he understands why Jewish voters are concerned, but also suggested there was little he could have done to identify those red flags in the hiring process.

Collins, the GOP nominee for Georgia’s Senate seat, has been mostly quiet publicly about the repeated disclosures concerning his former staffers — as well as his son-in-law — and is working to court Jewish voters concerned about Sen. Jon Ossoff’s (D-GA) record of voting against aid to Israel on multiple occasions.

“Those staffers — those views are abhorrent, and they don’t represent my values,” Collins told reporters at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual leadership summit. “And you can look at my voting record.”

Pressed by Jewish Insider on how or whether he would change vetting procedures to ensure that such staff didn’t find their way onto his team again in the future, Collins downplayed the connections between himself and their activity, saying “this was after they were on my team and gone.”

But at least one of those staffers was engaged in the activity while still working for Collins: his former Chief of Staff Kip Talley was reportedly active in a white nationalist group chat discussing efforts to free a Holocaust denier from prison while still on Collins’ team.

“I can’t see into the future, but regardless I still don’t agree with them, period,” Collins continued. “We can vet all day long, but what happens when they leave and they go out into the future — that’s a different question. But I certainly don’t want people around me like that.”

He said that he sees “a rise of antisemitism and hate with young people around the globe, and we certainly need to address that because so many of these young people feel like they’ve been forgotten.”

Collins said that education and opportunity are key to pulling young people out of such radicalization and conspiracy theories.

Collins cast Ossoff as positioning himself to run as a Democratic Socialists of America candidate for president, highlighting Ossoff’s recent endorsement of Abdul El-Sayed for Michigan’s Senate seat and the support he previously received from antisemitic streamer Hasan Piker.

Neither Ossoff nor El-Sayed are DSA members. Piker disavowed Ossoff this week after Ossoff condemned recent antisemitic comments.

“We are both polar opposites, even on where we stand on Israel,” Collins said. “And it goes well past just the support for Israel and the Jewish population.”

In remarks to the RJC audience, Collins emphasized that his support for Israel is rooted in his religious faith.

“My faith tells me to support Israel,” Collins said. “I don’t have to answer to anybody in this room, but I tell you what, I’ve got to answer to the man upstairs, and by God, that’s important to me, and I know where I stand on that.”

He went on to emphasize that, even apart from faith, the contributions Israel has made to the world and the ways it has supported U.S. interests — including opposing Iran and other terrorist regimes — make supporting Israel worthwhile.

“That’s my stand. It always will be, and I have no problem professing that,” Collins said.

VEEP'S STAKES

Vance to address Republican Jewish Coalition closed-door gala

The keynote address, scheduled for Monday night, comes as some Jewish Republicans have been deeply skeptical of the vice president’s worldview

Vice President J.D. Vance arrives at Ben Gurion airport on October 21, 2025 in Tel Aviv, Israel (Photo by Nathan Howard - Pool/Getty Images)

By

Emily Jacobs

August 28, 2026

Vice President JD Vance will appear at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual leadership summit in Las Vegas, Nevada, to deliver the keynote address at Monday night’s closed-door gala dinner for VIP attendees.

Vance’s address comes as Jewish and pro-Israel Republicans have expressed concern over his critical tone toward Israel and his association with far-right commentator Tucker Carlson, who has hosted numerous antisemitic guests on his podcast over the last two years.

The appearance will be Vance’s first at the RJC’s annual summit since entering public office. Vance attended the three-day confab as a guest in 2021 while running in the GOP primary for his former Senate seat, though he did not deliver remarks at that year’s gathering.

President Donald Trump will be delivering videotaped remarks at the gala dinner on Monday night. Several of the GOP’s top Senate recruits will also be in attendance, including former GOP Rep. Mike Rogers, who’s running against Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in the pivotal Michigan Senate contest. Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA), who’s running against Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), will also be speaking.

The summit has evolved somewhat in recent years as rising antisemitism within the GOP caused intra-party fissures. Carlson’s decision to host neo-Nazi influencer Nick Fuentes for a friendly interview on his podcast in the days leading up to last year’s confab prompted the RJC to make fighting right-wing antisemitism a key focus of the summit, which has historically been centered around celebrating broad GOP support for a strong U.S.-Israel relationship and connecting Republican politicians and candidates with potential donors.

Signs saying “Tucker is not MAGA” were featured at last year’s 2025 summit.

While Vance has condemned antisemitism and argued that it has no place in the GOP, he has said he rejects the notion that Jew hatred is spreading in the conservative movement. He also dismissed the suggestion that the rise in anti-Israel sentiment in the Republican Party was the result of antisemitism.

He said after being heckled over Israel’s war in Gaza at a Turning Point USA event in April that “the humanitarian situation in Gaza was an absolute catastrophe” when Trump began his second term and defended the ceasefire brokered by the president. In a pivot from his tone two years prior, Vance instead criticized the Biden administration for failing to reach a deal to stop the fighting and declined to defend Israel’s conduct in Gaza.

Since the Iran war was launched six months ago, the vice president has led several rounds of direct peace talks with Iran while emphasizing publicly that the administration was looking for a peaceful end to the conflict. He has also largely defended the war in public by noting the efforts to end the conflict.

In June, he issued a scathing public rebuke of Israeli officials who have criticized Trump for approving the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran, during which he cautioned Israeli skeptics of the deal against “attacking the only powerful ally” it has left and urged them to “wake up and smell the reality of the situation that country is in.”

HONORING GRAHAM

RJC creates Lindsey Graham Statesman Award as Jewish leaders pay tribute

The new award will be given at the group’s yearly leadership summit in August

(Amir Levy/Getty Images)

US Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) attends a press conference on US-Israel relations on February 17, 2025 at the Kempinski Hotel in Tel Aviv, Israel.

By

Emily Jacobs

July 22, 2026

Former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN), chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition, announced on Tuesday evening that the RJC would award the inaugural Lindsey Graham Statesman Award at the group’s yearly leadership summit in August, which will be dedicated to the late South Carolina senator after his death earlier this month.

Coleman, a former colleague and longtime friend of Graham’s, made the comments at a virtual event organized by the Israeli-American Council to pay tribute to the late senator’s support for Israel and the Jewish people. The former Minnesota senator was one of several prominent Jewish and pro-Israel figures who gathered to honor Graham’s record of support for the Jewish community.

“To our Jewish community, Lindsey was more than an ally. He was family and he said so himself. Reflecting once on how our community had rallied around him, he put it simply, ‘We are family,’ and he meant it,” Coleman said. “At the RJC leadership summit taking place next month in Las Vegas, we will be dedicating the event in his memory and awarding the first annual Lindsey Graham Statesman Award.”

Coleman said that Graham’s sudden death was a loss for the Jewish community and for the U.S. as a whole, telling attendees, “Our hearts break because Lindsey had so much left to give. He was not finished. There were more fights he wanted to win, more people he wanted to lift up, more good he wanted to do. We were not ready to lose him.”

“Our community is diminished tonight. The United States is diminished tonight, but every one of us who knew Lindsey Graham is richer for it and better for it,” he said.

Attendees at the virtual gathering, which was hosted by IAC CEO Elan Carr, included Dr. Miriam Adelson, the philanthropist and Republican megadonor; Betsy Berns Korn, the former AIPAC president and chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations; Jewish Federations of North America CEO Eric Fingerhut; American Jewish Committee (AJC) CEO Ted Deutch; Pastor John Hagee, the founder and chairman of Christians United for Israel; and Rabbi Levi Shemtov, the executive vice president of American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad).

Ronen and Orna Neutra, the parents of slain Israeli American hostage Omer Neutra, made an unscheduled appearance to speak about Graham’s advocacy for their son and other hostages during their captivity in Gaza. Omer Neutra’s remains were taken by Hamas terrorists into Gaza and held there for more than two years after he was killed during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel.

“Our family came to know Sen. Graham shortly after Oct. 7, when our son, [IDF] Capt. Omer Neutra, was taken hostage,” Orna Neutra said. “From the earliest days of the crisis, Sen. Graham was one of the strongest and most consistent voices in the Senate supporting Israel and calling for the hostages to be released. He spoke clearly about Iran’s role in supporting Hamas and argued that Hamas could not remain in power after the war.”

“Whenever we asked to meet, [Graham] made himself available,” she continued. “He was straightforward and matter of fact. He never told us what we wanted to hear, only what he believed. He offered no false hope. He listened carefully. He asked thoughtful questions, and he treated our concerns with seriousness and respect.”

Orna Neutra recounted a meeting Graham had with several hostage families where he told them, “I wish you were all my constituents. I wish you were all from South Carolina.” She explained that Graham was suggesting “that he wished he could do even more for each and every one of us personally.”

Berns Korn similarly praised Graham for his allyship with the Jewish people and remarked how she would accidentally cross paths with the South Carolina senator almost every time they separately visited the Israeli prime minister’s office.

“To me, to the conference, to the Jewish community, and to the people of Israel, Sen. Graham was more than an ally. He was a true friend,” Berns Korn said. “Friends like Lindsey Graham come along once in a generation.”

“You’d make the long trip, race through the schedule, thinking we’re moving fast, and somehow Lindsey and his staff [were] already there, already briefed, already asking the next question, and already formulating a strategy,” she continued. “That was Lindsey. He was present. He was engaged. He listened carefully and moved with purpose. He built trust with Israeli leaders and American Jewish organizations. He built coalitions across the aisle and developed relationships with communities who valued his wise counsel, judgment, and his leadership.”

Shemtov noted that Norm Brownstein, the veteran Washington lobbyist, was a mutual friend of his and Graham’s, and said that Brownstein “would often tell me that the one thing about Lindsey Graham was that he had a genuine friendship with the Jewish people and a genuine concern for the needs of the Jewish people and for the needs that Israel had, whatever they were, and he always would reiterate that not only in words but in practice.”

“Within darkness, within negativity, there is always the latent opposite. So, as we see dark forces in the political world that are beginning to emerge and expand, sadly, let us not forget the bright ones we’ve been fortunate to know, people like Sen. Lindsey Graham,” Shemtov said. “The Jewish people have survived for millennia through strong faith in God, and through the many agents and messengers that God sent from outside the Jewish community to be our friends, our supporters, and those who reinforced us.”

Deutch, who served in Congress from 2010-2022 as a Democrat, recounted his first experience traveling with Graham after being elected to the House, joining Graham’s delegation to the Munich Security Conference at the invitation of the late Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT). Deutch praised Graham for his emphasis on bipartisanship while on the international stage.

“Lindsey always understood why it was so important for us to do that together,” Deutch said in a prerecorded address. “When I think about what we’ll miss about him, the way that he stood up for American leadership, understanding that especially how much that leadership was strengthened when we did it together as Americans, Democrats and Republicans standing together, that’s the way that I’m going to remember him.”

The AJC CEO urged attendees “to think about that and reflect upon that in the way that we go about our work, whether we work in the Jewish world, we work in the government or diplomatic world or whether we’re just American citizens who are thinking about how to make the country better for all of us.”

Fingerhut praised Graham for understanding that, “In times of evil, indifference to evil is evil. Neutrality always helps the killer, not the victim.”

“Lindsey Graham always took seriously all those who threaten other people. Lindsey Graham always took seriously all those who threatened the Jewish people,” Fingerhut said. “Lindsey Graham understood the dangers of indifference and neutrality, and Lindsey Graham understood that neutrality helps the killer, not the victim. Lindsey Graham was not neutral. He took sides. He was not indifferent. He was passionate and committed and relentless.”

In Coleman’s remarks, the RJC chairman highlighted Graham’s close friendships with Adelson and her late husband, Sheldon, telling the audience that, “They were always talking. When he [Graham] went into battle, he was comforted by knowing that they would be with him.”

For her part, Adelson spoke of the friendship that she and her late husband, the billionaire casino mogul, shared with Graham over more than three decades, reminiscing about the South Carolina senator’s aversion to gambling and his daily phone calls with her spouse.

“We met Lindsey and — as a physician, I love to see the brain, the eyes are [the window into] our brain — they were so pure and blue. You could see what he was thinking about. He was so honest, with integrity, and Sheldon and me fell in love with him.”

Adelson said that her late husband’s longtime secretary told her that “there was not a day that” Sheldon did not “talk with Lindsey.”

“They talked about Israel,” Adelson said. “Lindsey gave him advice. Sheldon gave him advice, and they had fun.”

She shared that Graham had once opted to meet tourists in the Adelsons’ Las Vegas Sands property rather than gamble in the VIP room alongside the late Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), who had accompanied Graham to visit the couple.

“Instead of playing, he was meeting people,” Adelson said of Graham. “Lindsey loved people, and they loved him from the left, from the right. He was a fantastic person.”

Adelson said that Graham and her late husband were similar in their steadfast commitment to their families, comparing Sheldon Adelson supporting his first wife’s three children from a previous marriage to the late senator adopting his younger sister, Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC) after their parents died. Adelson said she hoped to meet Graham’s sister, who was appointed to serve out the remainder of her brother’s term last week and has since announced plans to run for a full term, for dinner in Washington, D.C., in the near future and urged her to “choose life and success” in her new role.

“Know that so many people loved your brother and admired him,” Adelson said before acknowledging that she was tearing up. “He is a good man. Inside the heart, he is such a good man, and I want to tell you, Darline … that I really admired and loved your brother. I miss him.”

scene last night

RJC celebrates Massie defeat at gala commemorating America’s 250th anniversary

CEO Matt Brooks: ‘Being anti-Israel in today’s Republican Party is not ... a path to success’

RJC

Republican Jewish Coalition CEO Matt Brooks

By

Haley Cohen

June 1, 2026

Republican Jewish Coalition CEO Matt Brooks celebrated his group’s role in ousting Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) in his primary election earlier this month at the organization’s sold-out “America 250” themed gala Sunday night, held at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan.

Stating that RJC spent more than $5 million to unseat Massie, Brooks told attendees to loud applause, “Let me say clearly tonight, it was a fight worth having and a victory worth celebrating.”

“When someone repeatedly undermines support for Israel, trafficks in isolationism at a moment of global danger and refuses to stand with the Jewish community when it matters most, there has to be consequences,” Brooks said.

“Being anti-Israel in today’s Republican Party is not — unlike the Democratic Party — a path to success,” said Brooks, who called defeating Massie a “critical victory” for the direction of the GOP and conservative movement. “It was a message that needed to be sent and a message that has been received,” he added.

With the midterm elections approaching, Brooks asserted that “the stakes could not be higher.”

“Today, as the Iranian threat remains front and center and antisemitism continues to rise, we are deeply grateful for [President Donald Trump’s] leadership and moral clarity,” continued Brooks.

The gala came as the Republican Party grapples with a growing faction of younger activists, internet influencers and far-right nationalists — often referred to as the “groypers” — who hold extreme antisemitic and white supremacist views. Several speakers at Sunday’s event took the opportunity to distance their party from far-right commentators Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens — as well as anti-Israel elected officials in the GOP.

“I want to thank the RJC for leading the fight, not just to elect Republicans and defeat radical, woke, antisemitic Democrats — but to hold the Republican Party to account as well and eliminate people like Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene, to take on people like Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens, because it’s not just pushing back against the Hasan Pikers of the world,” said Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), referring to the far-left streamer who has been embraced by elements of the Democratic Party. “If we can’t root it out in our own party — if we can’t call it out, then we don’t have the moral standing to call out the other side.”

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, who was in New York City to march in the Israel Day on Fifth parade, said that his participation in the parade — the first-ever by a Knesset speaker — was a direct response to Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s decision to boycott the festivities.

“The mayor of this city is still refusing to condemn genocidal slogans that are aimed at Jews,” Ohana said. “For the first time in more than 60 years, the mayor of New York City did not attend the Israel Day parade, and it is exactly for that reason that for the first time in more than 60 years, the speaker of Knesset did,” Ohana said to cheering from guests — many sporting red “Trump” kippot.

“America’s greatest leaders understood that evil ignored becomes evil empowered. It must be confronted head-on,” said Ohana. “That is why I am so proud to stand with every one of you in this room, who have refused to surrender to antisemites who trade truth for clicks,” he continued. “On behalf of the Knesset — that represents the whole people of Israel — I want to thank you for that.”

Speakers also included Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL); Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a New York state Republican gubernatorial candidate; and former Auburn University basketball coach Bruce Pearl.

The evening concluded with a panel on antisemitism in the United Nations, featuring U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz and Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon.

Waltz said rather than walking away from Turtle Bay, “we need to get in there and fight and win.”

“It can be done,” he said. “Just this year, we forced the U.N. to take its first budget cut in its history.”

SCOOP

RJC endorses GOP frontline Senate candidates

The group is endorsing candidates Ashely Hinson in Iowa, Mike Rogers in Michigan, Kurt Alme in Montana and Michael Whatley in North Carolina

Andrew Roth/Sipa USA via AP Images

Republican Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers attends President Donald Trump's rally in Warren, Mich., on April 29, 2025.

By

Marc Rod

April 21, 2026

The Republican Jewish Coalition announced Tuesday that it is endorsing four Republican Senate candidates for open seats: Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA), former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI), former U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme in Montana and former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley in North Carolina.

The group also announced endorsements of sitting Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Ashley Moody (R-FL), Pete Ricketts (R-NE) and Jon Husted (R-OH), all of whom are up for reelection in November.

“All eight of these incumbent Senators and candidates exemplify what it means to be a true conservative fighter for the American people,” RJC CEO Matt Brooks and National Chairman Norm Coleman said in a statement. “Each has stood firmly against the rising tide of antisemitism, in support of the US-Israel alliance, and for our shared values. The Republican Jewish Coalition knows that these leaders will deliver on the issues of primary concern to the American Jewish community, and we are proud to endorse them.”

The two said that the “frontlines” of the fight to keep the Senate in Republican hands “are in these eight key states” — highlighting the expanding battleground in this November’s Senate contests.

The RJC, in a statement, particularly highlighted Whatley’s work to support Israel and the Jewish community following the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, describing him as “outspoken in his support for our greatest ally [who] forcefully condemned Hamas terrorism, and reaffirmed the Republican Party’s unwavering backing of Israel’s right to defend itself.”

RJC was a key backer of Rogers in the 2024 Senate race, and is expected to be strongly involved again in the Michigan race.

raising the alarm

Ted Cruz warns GOP not winning battle against right-wing antisemitism

The Texas senator called Tucker Carlson ‘the single most dangerous demagogue in this country’

Republican Jewish Coalition

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaks at antisemitism symposium in Washington on March 10, 2026.

By

Gabby Deutch

March 10, 2026

Antisemitism is rising on the American right, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) warned on Tuesday, expressing concern that efforts to combat it are not doing so quickly or effectively enough.

“I want us to be winning, but I’m not sure it is accurate as a descriptive manner that we are winning right now,” Cruz said at an antisemitism symposium in Washington organized by the Republican Jewish Coalition and the National Review.

Cruz has emerged in recent months as one of the Republican Party’s most vocal critics of right-wing antisemitism. He has targeted influential commentator Tucker Carlson and his strain of isolationist, anti-Israel politics that has in recent months crossed over into overt antisemitism, though Cruz has bemoaned other Republicans’ wariness to criticize Carlson by name.

At the RJC event, Cruz called Carlson “the single most dangerous demagogue in this country.”

But he said that not enough of his colleagues and allies on the right are aware of the extent of the problem.

“I don’t want to wake up in five years and find myself in a country where both major political parties are unambiguously anti-Israel and unapologetically antisemitic, and I think that is a real possibility. If Tucker and his minions prevail, that will happen,” Cruz argued.

Cruz expressed fear that this attitude is not just present but popular among young people on the right, as evidenced by two viral Turning Point USA events last fall where students at Auburn and Ole Miss cheered after deeply anti-Israel questions were asked.

“I worry about the 19-year-olds who say, ‘Oh, that’s what our team believes. That’s who we are.’ Let’s be clear, if you are a young, ambitious Democrat, it is obvious what you should do. You should be viciously anti-Israel,” said Cruz.

He applauded the people who came out to the Museum of the Bible on Tuesday to discuss antisemitism but pointed out that their concern does not reflect how the rest of the country thinks about the issue.

“The fact that this room is persuaded does not mean that the college campus is. It does not mean that the Capitol Hill interns are. It does not mean that the interns at Heritage, at [Conservative Partnership Institute] and every other conservative institution in this country, that they’re persuaded,” said Cruz. “We need to fight and engage it and take on the core premises, because if we lose the next generation, we lose the country.”

Cruz posited that Carlson and other anti-Israel influencers are being paid by foreign nations like Qatar, China and Russia, though he acknowledged that he lacks proof for that theory.

“I don’t believe all of these voices who have suddenly discovered that Israel is the source of all evil, that everything bad in the world was done by the Jews, that America is controlled by the Jews and that radical Islamic terrorists are really nice, wonderful people — I don’t think these people just arrived on this view organically and magically,” said Cruz.

“I think many of these influencers are cashing a check,” he added. “The people in this room could do an enormous service by documenting that. I don’t have the evidence right now to prove it, but Occam’s razor: the simplest explanation is usually the right one.”

SCOOP

Jewish leaders invited to meet with Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman in D.C.

The invitation comes amid a sharp rise in antisemitic and anti-Israel rhetoric from the Kingdom

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Saudi Arabia Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman ahead of a meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the State Department Building on February 25, 2025 in Washington, DC.

By

Danielle Cohen-Kanik

January 29, 2026

Jewish and pro-Israel organizations were invited to a meeting with the Saudi defense minister in Washington on Friday afternoon, four sources familiar with the invitation confirmed to Jewish Insider.

Invited groups included the American Jewish Committee, Anti-Defamation League, Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and Republican Jewish Coalition, though as of Thursday morning it was not clear which invitees would be accepting the invitation.

Foundation for Defense of Democracies is meeting with the defense minister in a separate sit-down Friday morning, FDD CEO Mark Dubowitz confirmed to JI.

Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman, the brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is in Washington holding meetings with U.S. officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on Thursday and Friday.

The invitation comes as some Jewish organizations have expressed concerns about the recent rise in antisemitic and Islamist rhetoric out of Saudi Arabia, but they’ve been relatively cautious in their language as they seek to maintain their support for the long-sought but elusive goal of bringing Riyadh into the Abraham Accords.

“This meeting will be complete window dressing,” one Middle East analyst familiar with the invitation and with the larger Saudi pivot in the region told JI. “The Saudis may try and rationalize their way out of their new alignment with Pakistan, Qatar and Turkey and say everything is fine with the UAE when evidence says otherwise.”

“They may also want to send a message to Jewish organizations with absolute clarity that they will not be joining the Abraham Accords until there’s a Palestinian state, especially ahead of a rumored visit by [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu to Washington in the next 30 days,” the analyst added.

“If these Jewish organizations do attend the meeting, they should give a stern message to Saudi leadership that their new strategic alliances and promoting antisemitism and being destructive in the region regarding Israel are not helpful.”

ANALYSIS

RJC summit confronts right-wing antisemitism without naming names

Even as multiple speakers at the three-day summit alluded to antisemitism in their ranks, many talked in broad strokes

(AP Photo/Thomas Beaumont)

Attendees watch a recorded video address by President Donald Trump during the Republican Jewish Coalition's annual summit at the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025.

By

Matthew Kassel

November 3, 2025

LAS VEGAS — Until last week, the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual leadership summit was expected to be a triumphant gathering to celebrate President Donald Trump’s accomplishments in the Middle East, chief among them his administration’s recently brokered ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

That all changed after Tucker Carlson hosted the neo-Nazi influencer Nick Fuentes on his podcast for a sympathetic interview, provoking fierce backlash. By the time that Kevin Roberts, the president of the Heritage Foundation, came to Carlson’s defense on Thursday, the RJC recognized its conference would require a thematic update to more forcefully emphasize the urgency of confronting rising antisemitism — and its enablers — within the GOP.

“If there was ever a time for the RJC, this is our time,” Norm Coleman, the organization’s national chairman, said in opening remarks on Friday. “We have been called to this moment to fight the scourge of antisemitism.”

But even as multiple speakers at the three-day summit held at the Venetian Resort — including congressional leaders, conservative activists and media personalities — alluded to antisemitism in their ranks, many talked in broad strokes, didn’t mention Carlson by name or downplayed the issue as confined to the fringes, despite Carlson and Fuentes each commanding a significant number of dedicated followers on the far right.

The speakers also argued that anti-Jewish hatred had become an endemic problem for Democrats — especially in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks. And in a preview of GOP messaging ahead of the midterms next year, many took aim at Zohran Mamdani, the far-left Democratic nominee for New York City mayor and fierce critic of Israel favored to win the election on Tuesday.

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), who is now running for governor of Florida, relied on euphemism to refer to right-wing antisemitism, declaring that the GOP would “not stand idly by” as “some in other parts of politics try to demonize Jewish Americans” and “try to weaken or destroy the relationship between the United States of America and the nation of Israel.”

“I will always call out and confront antisemitism wherever it is and whoever spreads it,” Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI), the House Republican conference chair, said on Saturday, but shared no examples of such prejudice in her own party.

Some, including Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Dave McCormick (R-PA) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), more forcefully addressed growing antisemitism on their side of the aisle.

In an interview with Jewish Insider shortly before he took the stage on Friday, Graham described Carlson’s interview with Fuentes as a “wake-up call” for the Republican Party. “How many times does he have to play footsie with this antisemitic view of the Jewish people and Israel until you figure out that’s what he believes?” Graham said of the former Fox News host.

But in his speech later, the South Carolina senator adopted a more sanguine attitude, speaking more like a stand-up comedian as he sought to lighten the mood. “I just want to make it really clear: I’m in the ‘Hitler sucks’ wing of the Republican Party,” he said to applause. “What is this Hitler shit?”

“I feel good about the Republican Party,” he added, saying the GOP “has figured it out when it comes to Israel.”

Cruz also criticized Republicans who refuse to disavow right-wing antisemites in the conservative coalition, though he ultimately didn’t mention any of the offending individuals by name in his RJC speech.

McCormick, in his fireside chat with conservative author Douglas Murray, directly confronted the lack of right-wing voices challenging virulent antisemitism. “This very week, you had an avowed antisemite, Fuentes, given a platform. This is a guy that says Hitler is cool, says Jews should be terminated…and those views went unchallenged,” McCormick said.

In his own speech at the summit, McCormick said: “Let’s face it, antisemitism is running wild on the progressive left and the leaders of the Democratic Party are not confronting it with their new star Mamdani,” McCormick said. “But I’m also sad to say we see that ugliness on the right too, and we must confront it. Jews can’t be slandered, antisemites can’t be given platforms.”

Their comments sidestepped a more deeply rooted challenge for mainstream Republicans following recent controversies in which young party leaders were caught sharing pro-Nazi messages in leaked group chats, and Paul Ingrassia, the controversial Trump ally, withdrew his nomination to lead the Office of Special Counsel after text messages were unearthed where he allegedly made antisemitic and racist remarks.

Vice President JD Vance also faced criticism from Jewish Republicans last week over his recent appearance at a conservative campus event, where he chose not to confront some students who asked questions that invoked antisemitic tropes. While some attendees at the RJC summit told JI that they had been troubled by Vance’s performance, it was not a topic of discussion on the main stage.

Taking the floor on Saturday, however, Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL), a freshman congressman from Florida who is one of four Jewish Republicans in the House, criticized those who focus only on left-wing antisemitism or just broadly talk about anti-Jewish prejudice on the right.

“It’s easy to talk about antisemitism on the left,” Fine said in his remarks. “I want to talk about the dark force rising on our side. Multiple speakers have talked about the rise of antisemitism on the right. But it is not enough to speak in platitudes or generalities about the fight. We must call evil by its name.”

He called Carlson “the most dangerous antisemite in America” and said he did not belong in Trump’s movement — a message that was amplified by a line of student attendees who stood before him holding up posters declaring “Tucker is not MAGA.”

Fine also said that he was canceling a scheduled event with the Heritage Foundation, adding that the group had “no future” in his office. “I will be calling on all of my colleagues on the Republican side to do the same,” he confirmed.

Matt Brooks, the RJC’s CEO, told JI last week that his group would be reassessing its relationship with Heritage, noting that he was “disgusted” by Roberts’ decision to stand with Carlson. The RJC has not yet further clarified how it plans to move forward with regard to Heritage.

As the summit neared its conclusion on Saturday, one RJC member, Jon Tucker of Chicago, voiced optimism that Trump, set to deliver a prerecorded message later that evening, would choose to speak out against what he termed the “ultra-right wing, isolationist” and “anti-Christian Zionist” voices in the Republican Party.

“I would hope the president comes out and has something to say about it, just like Ronald Reagan did back in the ’80s when he, famously, kicked the right wing out of the Republican Party,” he told JI, expressing concern that — in the absence of direct condemnation from the top — “we could lose” the GOP to “radicals.”

When he finally appeared on screen, Trump made no mention of antisemitism’s ascendance within the GOP, instead touting his administration’s efforts to target universities for their alleged failure to address antisemitism while listing his achievements in the Middle East, including the ceasefire deal.

He also credited the RJC with helping him to perform particularly well among Jewish voters in 2024, even as he reiterated his complaint that he should have received more support in light of his pro-Israel policies.

“I can’t imagine we didn’t do better than that after all I’ve done for the Jewish vote, I must be honest with you,” Trump said. “But that’s OK.”

This story was updated on Monday to reflect Sen. Dave McCormick’s comments regarding Nick Fuentes.

DRAWING A RED LINE

Rep. Randy Fine slams Tucker Carlson as ‘most dangerous antisemite in America’

The GOP congressman said he planned to cancel a scheduled event with the Heritage Foundation next week

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) leaves the U.S. Capitol after the last votes of the week on Thursday, September 4, 2025.

By

Matthew Kassel

November 1, 2025

LAS VEGAS — Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) called Tucker Carlson “the most dangerous antisemite in America” in remarks on Saturday at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual leadership conference, in what was an unusually direct rebuke of the far-right commentator who is facing backlash over his recent friendly interview with the neo-Nazi influencer Nick Fuentes.

“He has chosen to take on the mantle of leader of a modern day Hitler Youth,” Fine, a freshman congressman from Florida who is one of four Jewish Republicans in the House, said of Carlson. “To broadcast and feature those who celebrate the Nazis, those who call for the extermination of Israel, to defend Hamas, to even criticize President Trump for stopping Iran’s nuclear ambitions.”

Fine’s remarks came as the RJC now reckons with rising antisemitism within the Republican Party in the wake of the Fuentes interview last week, where Carlson, in a podcast conversation that ran for more than two hours, failed to challenge his guest’s praise for Adolf Hitler and Holocaust denial, among other antisemitic views.

Kevin Roberts, the president of the Heritage Foundation, a leading conservative think tank, has also drawn criticism for standing by Carlson in the days after the interview, even as he has condemned Fuentes.

But while many speakers at the RJC summit have alluded to anti-Jewish prejudice on the right, few have explicitly mentioned Carlson or the Heritage Foundation in their own remarks, instead focusing largely on left-wing antisemitism.

“I can stand up here all day and take shots at the left,” Fine said in a ballroom at the Venetian Resort, standing in front of a long line of younger attendees who lined up before him with red posters declaring “Tucker is not MAGA,” a line he used in his speech.

“But I’m here for the kids down here, because it’s easy to talk about antisemitism on the left,” Fine continued. “I want to talk about the dark force rising on our side. Multiple speakers have talked about the rise of antisemitism on the right. But it is not enough to speak in platitudes or generalities about the fight. We must call evil by its name.”

The congressman said that Carlson’s “fall from grace has been one of the most extraordinary implosions in political history, and the rapidity of it has created real challenges for us all, because our friends don’t have our shared experience.”

“I can deal with this with my colleagues in the House,” he said. “See, they remember the Tucker of five years ago. They don’t live with antisemitism every day. They don’t think about it the way that we do, and it’s jarring for them to try to understand: How did this person become who he is today? But the challenge is, he’s inspired a movement of hate in our midst, and I’m not done calling people out.”

In his speech, Fine also said that he “was supposed to do an event with” the Heritage Foundation next week but had since changed his mind. “They don’t know what I’m about to tell you,” he told the crowd. “Right now we’re canceling it.”

“They have no future in my office, and I will be calling on all of my colleagues on the Republican side to do the same,” he said. “If those who support Tucker Carlson want to see a venomous coalition,” he said, referring to language from Roberts’ recent defense of Carlson, “all they need to do is go look in the mirror.”

In addition to Carlson and the Heritage Foundation, Fine turned his sights on two of his GOP colleagues, Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY), both outspoken critics of Israel who have faced accusations of using antisemitic rhetoric.

“Some days, I marvel at their stupidity, other days, at their evil,” he said. “It makes my stomach crawl that I have to sit in the same room with them.”

“Now we have to choose: Will we ignore these embarrassments to our party?” he asked in his concluding remarks. “When we pretend they don’t matter or that they don’t exist, we make the same mistakes that Democrats made so many years ago.”

“Today in this room and at this time, we speak with one loud and convincing truth,” Fine said to cheers from the audience. “We will not let our party fall to this darkness.”

communal concern

RJC, conservatives condemn Heritage’s defense of Carlson, Fuentes

‘I am appalled, offended and disgusted that [Kevin Roberts] and Heritage would stand with Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes,’ Republican Jewish Coalition CEO Matt Brooks told JI

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

An exterior view of The Heritage Foundation building on July 30, 2024 in Washington, DC.

By

Marc Rod

October 30, 2025

Conservatives, including the CEO of the Republican Jewish Coalition, condemned the Heritage Foundation and its president, Kevin Roberts, for Roberts’ defense of his “close friend” Tucker Carlson amid criticism of Carlson’s friendly interview with neo-Nazi influencer Nick Fuentes and his general antisemitic and anti-Israel turn.

Roberts also declined to fully disavow Fuentes, saying that “canceling him is not the answer.”

“Watching the statements from Kevin Roberts today, as somebody who has been involved and supportive of the Heritage Foundation since I came to Washington in 1987, I am appalled, offended and disgusted that he and Heritage would stand with Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes as somehow being acceptable spokespeople within the conservative movement,” Matt Brooks, the RJC CEO, told Jewish Insider.

Brooks said that Heritage’s defense of Carlson and Fuentes “is a total abrogation of their mission and what it means to be a conservative today.”

He said that RJC has worked with Heritage in various ways over the years, particularly its foreign policy team, “but obviously there’s going to be a reassessment of our relationship with Heritage in light of this.”

Brooks said that “we’ve seen Heritage moving further in this direction,” but that he believes that it is still “well outside of the mainstream of where the conservative movement in the Republican Party is.”

“They’re becoming more like Tucker Carlson and less like Ronald Reagan. Tucker Carlson represents the Barack Obama-Bernie Sanders wing of the Republican Party,” Brooks said. “I believe that there’s still a vibrant Trump-Reagan wing of the Republican Party, and Heritage continues to position itself away from that — I think to their detriment.”

Richard Goldberg, a former Trump administration official, told JI that his “heart goes out” to Heritage staff who have “worked for years tirelessly in defense of both the United States and Israel, and in the defense of both Christians and Jews, and … certainly deserve better than this.”

Their work, he continued, “is fundamentally disconnected from the video that Kevin put out,” which is “really vile” and “filled with canards and straw men in order to try to bait opponents into some sort of imagined conflict that does not exist — I think to create such conflict.”

Goldberg said that unless Roberts plans to conduct mass firings at Heritage of those working on national security and foreign policy issues and the group’s Project Esther antisemitism program to bring the organization in line with the isolationist Quincy Institute, “there is a great deal of disconnect between what he is saying and doing and what his organization is saying and doing.”

The enemies of both America and Israel, “would like nothing more than to see this kind of messaging succeed. This is very much in line with a Marxist-Islamist ideology that really only benefits China, Russia, terrorists and their sponsors,” Goldberg argued.

“I hope we don’t allow this strain to try to break what is core to American values and core to American interests, and that’s Christians and Jews sticking together, and America and Israel sticking together,” Goldberg said.

Joel Griffith, a co-chair of Young Jewish Conservatives and a former research fellow at Heritage, called for Heritage members and donors to speak out against Roberts. Griffth is currently a senior fellow at Advancing American Freedom, the think tank founded by former Vice President Mike Pence.

“As a former Heritage fellow who’s both patriotically American and proudly Jewish, I’m deeply disheartened by Kevin Roberts continued support for Tucker Carlson even as he ridicules allied Christians who believe in the right of the Jewish people to self-determination in their homeland, slanders Israel as genocidal, supports removal of citizenship for young Americans who serve in the IDF, and platforms a Holocaust denier,” Griffith told JI. “I’m hopeful that Heritage members and donors will make their voices heard. Kevin Roberts does not speak for me as a Heritage alum, nor does he represent the views of many allies of Israel who remain on staff at Heritage.”

In his video, Roberts cited comments by Vice President JD Vance at a Turning Point USA event on Wednesday that no other country should come “before the interest of American citizens.” Vance’s comments had come in response to an openly antisemitic question accusing Jews of persecuting Christians, a notion Vance did not directly dispute.

“I wish that Vice President Vance had answered the question differently,” Brooks told JI. “He should know — and if he doesn’t, I am sure there are a number of people who will make the information available to him — that the Israelis have not limited access to any of the Christian holy sites or persecuted Christians in Israel. In fact, things couldn’t be further from the truth.”

“It has been Israelis, since the founding of the State of Israel and even before, that have protected the Christian heritage sites, and have always talked about having Israel as the home to the three major religions and having freedom of access and freedom of religion throughout the country,” Brooks continued.

Goldberg said that Vance’s recent visit to Israel and his trips to Christian holy sites in Jerusalem were “outstanding” and “important for Christians … around the world.”

He urged Vance “not to be afraid to be very direct in shutting down Jew hate and antisemitic tropes when the appear when he is out on the stump or campaigning” — noting that TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk had a record of responding forcefully to antisemitism at his own public events. “I think it would honor Charlie to emulate that style as well.”

Noah Pollak, who is serving in the Trump administration as a senior advisor to the Department of Education, said on X, “I’m genuinely curious what Roberts and people promoting this line of innuendo think they are responding to. Did someone ask you not to be loyal to your faith and country? Who? Can you post a screenshot or something?”

Far-right influencer Laura Loomer, a close ally of President Donald Trump, claimed Roberts’ statement was part of a coordinated “psyop” to “kneecap Trump” before the 2026 midterms.

Rabbi Yaakov Menken, the executive vice president of the Coalition for Jewish Values — one of the few Jewish groups that had partnered with Heritage on combating antisemitism — said that “Heritage has chosen to vocally stand with an antisemite, call his Jewish critics a ‘[venomous] coalition,’ and slander organizations like CJV as if we were slandering Carlson rather than standing up for his victims. The consequences will be far-reaching indeed.”

Strategist and commentator David Reaboi said that it should be “obvious” to anyone who has watched Carlson’s show that his commentary on Israel and other issues goes beyond criticism to “grotesque lies and bad faith distortions” and likewise questioned what “globalists” are “preventing discussion about Israel, or (as you claim) attempting to bully others into supporting it.”

“Are we allowed to take Carlson’s ‘criticisms’ of Israel and its supporters seriously — I mean, as issues of fact to be debated or debunked?” Reaboi continued. “If so, I haven’t seen any evidence for it. All his lies and slander just go into the category of ‘his truth,’ like the leftists with whom he agrees on every foreign policy question.”

Jason Brodsky, the policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran, praised the work that Heritage has done on Iran, Israel and antisemitism, but said that “this video is disappointing and lacks moral clarity” given that Carlson is “obsessed with Jews and traffics in antisemitism.”

seal of approval

Republican Jewish Coalition backs Elbridge Colby for top Pentagon post

The RJC’s decision to back Colby comes even as the group has differed with the foreign policy analyst on key issues — especially Iran

Dominic Gwinn / Middle East Images /via AFP)

Elbridge Colby speaks at the National Conservative Conference in Washington D.C., Tuesday, July 9, 2024.

By

Matthew Kassel

February 3, 2025

The Republican Jewish Coalition urged the “swift confirmation” of Elbridge Colby as undersecretary of defense for policy in the Trump administration, according to a new letter, even as he faced scrutiny from pro-Israel conservatives over his dovish views on Iran and frequent calls to scale back U.S. involvement in the broader Middle East.

In the letter, which was sent on Thursday to Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, RJC leadership said it was “confident” Colby “will enact the strong pro-Israel policy of” President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, arguing the nominee “will be an asset to” the administration’s national security team.

“Mr. Colby understands that a strong and secure Israel is in America’s interests as well,” RJC CEO Matt Brooks and Norm Coleman, the group’s national chairman, wrote in their letter backing Colby. “He fully supports the continued robust U.S. political, military and financial support of Israel,” they added, noting Colby has “called Israel a model ally” and “will ensure that Israel can continue to check the aggression of our common enemies in Iran and its proxies in the region.”

The letter suggested the RJC was willing to overlook major potential differences with Colby, as Trump’s allies continued to fall in line behind some of his more divisive nominees awaiting confirmation.

Colby’s possible ascendancy also underscores how a new generation of defense advisors deeply skeptical of U.S. engagement abroad is poised to shape the Trump administration’s foreign policy — overshadowing more traditionally conservative voices raising concerns about recent hires at the Pentagon.

In contrast with the RJC, Colby, a so-called defense “prioritizer,” has voiced a more sanguine assessment of Iran, which he regards as a less urgent threat to U.S. interests than China. Colby has also argued that containing a nuclear Iran “is an eminently plausible and practical objective.”

Colby, who has called the Middle East “relatively unimportant,” has supported a withdrawal of U.S. military forces in the Persian Gulf that have helped defend Israel from Iranian missile attacks, saying that the U.S. can “more efficiently” deter Iran “by bolstering the military capabilities of its partners in the region.”

“If Iran’s provocations need to be answered, Washington must do so in a way that limits military involvement in the Middle East,” he wrote in a 2019 article. “If this means doing less than we might like against Iran, so be it.”

More recently, Colby questioned the Biden administration’s efforts to counter the Houthis, the Iran-backed proxy group in Yemen that has targeted Israel and global shipping lanes. While Colby has voiced support for Israel, he has called for a “reset” on the U.S.-Israel alliance to confront Beijing.

“America should be ready to provide potent material and political support to Israel,” Colby wrote shortly before the Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. “But at the same time, Israel should understand that the United States, which cannot afford to be enmeshed in another Middle Eastern war, will take a supporting role.”

He has otherwise opposed U.S. military assistance to Ukraine amid its war with Russia, which he has dismissed as a “peripheral conflict” with respect to U.S. national security interests. For its part, the RJC has urged Congress to back aid to Ukraine, saying “it is in America’s national interest to see Russia’s military might diminished and its malign strategic aims thwarted.”

Colby, whose confirmation hearing has not yet been scheduled, served in the first Trump administration as a deputy assistant secretary of defense and more recently worked at WestExec Advisors, a consulting firm co-founded by former Secretary of State Tony Blinken. Colby is an ally of Tucker Carlson, who has also pushed his inclusion in the Trump administration.

Sam Markstein, a spokesperson for RJC, said that “the letter in support of Mr. Colby came about as a result of extensive conversations with” Brooks and Coleman, “as we do with a wide range of various appointees and nominees for key administration positions.”

“After the conversation, in which we asked a wide range of questions and drilled down on his views, his commitment to support for Israel is clear,” Markstein told Jewish Insider on Sunday, “and as we said in the letter, Mr. Colby ‘will be an asset to President Trump’s solidly pro-Israel national security team.’”

Robert O’Brien, a former national security advisor in the first Trump administration, said he believed Colby’s foreign policy approach has “in some ways” been “mischaracterized,” calling Colby a “hawk when it comes to Israel and the Middle East.”

“I think Bridge’s concern is that the United States can only do so much,” O’Brien explained in a recent interview with JI.

Colby did not respond to a request for comment on Sunday.

In addition to Colby, some other Pentagon picks have also recently drawn backlash from pro-Israel Republicans, including Michael DiMino, the newly appointed deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East, who has called for a reduced U.S. presence in the Middle East and said the U.S. does not have any critical interests in the region.

Dan Caldwell, a Pentagon advisor who helped lead the transition process at the Defense Department, has likewise advocated for a more restrained foreign policy that would have the U.S. “significantly” pull back its long-standing focus on the Middle East and regional adversaries such as Iran, while expressing a largely skeptical attitude toward Israel, among other views espoused by a growing isolationist wing of the GOP.

As Colby awaits Senate confirmation, his position is currently being held by a protégé, Alex Velez-Green, who most recently worked as a senior policy advisor at the Heritage Foundation.

One Republican foreign policy expert who served in the first Trump administration recently speculated to JI that Colby’s confirmation will be “a real tough one” — though the RJC’s recent letter could serve as a valuable stamp of approval amid broader skepticism from the pro-Israel community.

Eric Levine, a top GOP fundraiser and RJC board member who has vocally opposed the confirmation of Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick to serve as the director of national intelligence, expressed comfort with Colby in an email to JI on Friday. “I’m with RJC,” he said.

Aiming for KO in KY

The only Republican primary challenger with the backing of the RJC

Todd McMurtry is aiming to unseat Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who regularly votes against his own party

Courtesy

Todd McMurtry and his wife, Cari.

By

Jacob Kornbluh

March 30, 2020

Todd McMurtry is a seasoned trial attorney who first received national exposure after representing a student filmed in a confrontation with protesters after last year’s March for Life in Washington, D.C. The lawsuit, filed against media organizations for their coverage of the incident, drew national headlines. But it was President Donald Trump’s tweets on Friday against libertarian Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) that put the spotlight on McMurtry, who is challenging the four-term incumbent for his seat in Congress.

Details: McMurtry, who launched his campaign in January, is challenging Massie in the June 23 Republican primary for Kentucky’s 4th congressional district. In 2018, Massie won re-election with 62% of the vote.

Background: McMurtry, 57, grew up in Covington, Kentucky. After graduating from Covington Latin School and Centre College in Danville, Kentucky, he studied law at Salmon P. Chase College of Law, affiliated with Northern Kentucky University. He now works as an attorney focusing on mediating commercial disputes. In 2019, after 28 years of practicing law, McMurtry was selected among the top 50 Kentucky super lawyers. He also spent several years in Washington D.C. as a fundraiser for the Republican National Committee.

Stepping up: In a phone interview with Jewish Insider on Sunday, McMurtry said he was in Dallas, Texas, last fall visiting his daughter and grandchildren when the entire family caught a cold. “So I spent too much time on social media and I saw things that Thomas Massie had posted that were, I thought, pretty upsetting,” he recounted. “I followed him for a long time and saw his questionable votes. And I said we’ve really had enough of this guy and his crazy votes — we have to do something about it. I posted something on Facebook and people started to contact me to run for office. So I did some inquiries and polling and all that stuff and decided that we had a shot and I was going to try it.”

Massie’s move: It was Massie’s push last Thursday for a recorded vote — a move that forced a number of lawmakers to return to Washington amid the coronavirus crisis — that upended the course of McMurtry’s campaign. “[Massie] seems to be generally an attention seeker on libertarian issues, and so we weren’t surprised to learn that he planned another stunt,” McMurtry noted. “But to be honest, the way he self-destructed was surprising I think to everyone. It doesn’t seem to have any logic or reason other than just a pure adherence to libertarian principles, which are not the principles of the 4h district in Kentucky.”

Trump factor: McMurtry told JI that Massie’s recent actions will push away the president’s supporters, estimating that Republicans in the district “are over 90% pro-President Trump. They don’t like to see what [Massie] did. And I think he shot himself in the foot.” As for Trump, “of course, we would welcome his endorsement,” McMurtry said. In an attempt to get the president’s ear when he visited his Mar-a-Lago resort last month, Massie ran a TV ad airing on Fox News in South Florida branding McMurtry a “Trump hater.”

RJC boost: The Republican Jewish Coalition announced on Friday that it is backing McMurtry and will actively fundraise for his campaign, describing Massie as “the only anti-Israel member of the House GOP caucus.” This marks the first time the RJC is supporting a primary challenger to an incumbent. In January, the group’s executive director, Matt Brooks, told Jewish Insider that the RJC will not support Massie — along with three other Republican House members — after they voted against the bipartisan Never Again Education Act, legislation to authorize new funding to help schools teach students about the Holocaust and antisemitism. McMurtry told JI he was “thrilled” and feels “very honored” to get the RJC endorsement, “and we intend to make that endorsement pay off for the RJC by winning this race.”

Massie stands alone on Israel: Massie was the only Republican to vote “no” on a House resolution (H.R. 246) last year condemning the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. In 2014, he was the only member of Congress from either party to oppose the U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership Act. Later that year, Massie voted against sending emergency aid to Israel to boost the Iron Dome program during Operation Protective Edge in Gaza. In 2016, Massie was again the only House member to oppose extending sanctions against Iran and was the only lawmaker to vote “present” on the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

McMurtry’s case: The Republican candidate stressed that support for a strong U.S.-Israel relationship “actually plays very well here in Kentucky” and is of “primary importance” for voters. “I know that the people here want their elected representatives to be strong supporters of Israel,” McMurtry said. “I share that support both personally and politically.” McMurtry called Massie’s vote against the anti-BDS resolution “pretty crazy” and “odd.” He said he would have voted “in favor of a resolution opposing and condemning the BDS movement,” as well as in favor of a House resolution reaffirming U.S. support for the two-state solution.

Working across the aisle: “I think what would be great if I got elected, especially for Israel, is that I’ve negotiated so many deals among conflicted parties,” McMurtry said, pointing to his mediation experience. “I have handled cases as an attorney where I’ve been an advocate and then a negotiator. So I do believe that I will be a very effective voice for Israel because of those skill sets. And that would include working with the Democrats to find compromise and mutuality on important issues.”

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