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Democratic senate candidate, then-Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), addresses volunteers at a campaign office on November 4, 2024 in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.
Add JewishInsider on GoogleIt’s notable that Democrats are still relying on experienced, brand-name candidates a bit past their political prime as top recruits for key Senate races.
Former Sen. Sherrod Brown, now 72, is seeking a political comeback after losing his reelection bid last year in Ohio. Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is pursuing a career change to the Senate at 68 years old. Maine Gov. Janet Mills is being recruited into the Senate race against Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) even though she’s 77.
To be sure, these are the strongest challengers Democrats could muster in these three must-win battleground states. All are popular statewide officials with a history of winning support from outside the party base. It’s hard to name any other Democratic candidate more capable of flipping these GOP-held seats than the aforementioned recruits.
But there’s another more uncomfortable reality that is drawing the Democrats towards their stars of yesteryear. In today’s fractured media environment, it’s incredibly hard for a new face to emerge and get the type of publicity rising stars would generate from “earned media” on television and in the press, as was common in the recent past.
And given the declining influence of such mainstream platforms, the best way to get attention is by playing to the party’s activist base on social media. It’s how Zohran Mamdani broke through a comparatively dull field of challengers in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary. Going viral is becoming a prerequisite in today’s politics, and the best way to go viral is to play to the extremes — or to, like California Gov. Gavin Newsom, emulate President Donald Trump’s online bullying and trolling.
If you don’t have name identification built up from a career in politics, it’s hard to register any other way these days. And it’s exceptionally hard to break through the noise if you’re a thoughtful moderate.
It’s why we’re seeing a slew of Democratic candidates popping up who are looking to capture the anti-establishment mood within the party amid the desire for a younger generation of leadership. At the same time, most of these change-focused candidates also hold political views that are well out of the mainstream.
Take Democrat Graham Platner, the 40-year-old Maine oyster farmer and former bartender who is disrupting the party efforts to recruit Mills into the Senate race. He exudes authenticity, and is a political outsider who has never run for elective office before. But his support for government-run health care and apparent hostility towards Israel, to name a few issues, would certainly make it harder for him to win over the moderate-minded voters that Collins has easily secured in past elections.
That would be the case in any battleground state or district: Nominate a candidate who captures the imagination of the progressive base, and odds are they’ll be less electable in a general election.
The 2020 Democratic presidential primary was a case study in this dynamic. There were a handful of talented center-left candidates running, like Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar or then-South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg. But given the party’s alarm about Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) electability, only the universally known Joe Biden had the profile to become the mainstream standard-bearer, even though he was 77 at the time.
At a certain point, the party’s bench of baby boomers will run out and the more progressive-minded Gen Zers will be stepping into political office. Whether this new generation can capture the public’s attention without being beholden to the ideological extremes will be one of the most consequential tests for the party’s future.
Plus, an interview with Sarah Huckabee Sanders
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Jay L. Schottenstein, Jeanie Schottenstein
Good Wednesday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we look at American Eagle CEO Jay Schottenstein and his family’s historic support for Jewish philanthropic causes amid the clothing company’s viral “good jeans” campaign, and interview Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders about her recent trip to Israel. We report on the Trump administration’s accusation that The George Washington University violated Jewish students’ civil rights, and cover efforts by evangelicals aligned with President Donald Trump to push Republicans to call out right-wing antisemitism. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Eric Levine, former Sen. Sherrod Brown, and George and Hal Steinbrenner.
What We’re Watching
- Today marks the fifth anniversary of the announcement that the U.S. had brokered a normalization agreement, later known as the Abraham Accords, between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Flashback: Read our 2020 coverage here.
- We’re keeping an eye on Harvard’s negotiations with the Trump administration, as the school nears what is likely to be a $500 million settlement with the government to restore federal funding and grants that had been frozen over the administration’s allegations that the school had not done enough to address antisemitism on campus.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to address Newsmax’s U.S. Independence Day celebration this evening in Jerusalem. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee is also slated to attend the event, which was postponed to August following the Israel-Iran war in June.
- GOP fundraiser Eric Levine is cohosting a fundraiser tonight for New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ reelection bid. Former New York Gov. David Paterson, who had backed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s mayoral bid in the Democratic primary, is expected to endorse Adams at the event.
- The Washington Institute for Near East Policy is hosting a web event today focused on Middle East arms sales.
- Senior Hamas official Khalil Al-Hayya is in Cairo today for talks with Egyptian officials focused on reviving hostage-release and ceasefire talks.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S JOSH KRAUSHAAR
A new Siena poll of New York voters illustrates the unpopularity of the state’s leading political figures in the runup to this year’s mayoral contest and next year’s gubernatorial election. Of particular note is the surging dissatisfaction among many Democratic voters towards elected leaders from their own party.
In the poll, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) hits his all-time low in popularity, with just 38% of New Yorkers viewing him favorably and 50% viewing him unfavorably. His favorability with Democratic voters took a slight downturn since the last Siena survey in April, with just 49% of voters in his own party viewing him favorably.
Among Jewish voters, a narrow 52% majority of New York Jews viewed him favorably, with 43% rating him unfavorably.
Schumer doesn’t face reelection until 2028, but amid the wave of anti-establishment sentiment within the Democratic Party, the numbers suggest he could face a credible primary threat if he pursues a sixth term.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), who is up for reelection in 2030, also faces a mixed political picture. Her favorability rating is, like every other New York elected official, underwater. But her overall numbers, with 36% viewing her favorably and 38% viewing her unfavorably, are better than nearly all of her counterparts. She’s also the most popular politician among Jewish voters, with 54% viewing her favorably and only 27% viewing her unfavorably.
There’s a notable disconnect between Gov. Kathy Hochul’s job approval rating and favorability rating; more New Yorkers are satisfied with her performance in office than like her personally. Hochul’s job approval rating stands at 53%, with 42% disapproving. But only 42% of New Yorkers view her favorably, while 44% view her unfavorably.
In an early test of a likely 2026 general election matchup between Hochul and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Hochul leads 45-31%. In that matchup, Jewish voters would divide nearly evenly, with 45% backing Hochul and 42% supporting Stefanik, according to the poll.
BEHIND THE BILLBOARD
Jay Schottenstein has great genes
In the recent viral debate surrounding American Eagle’s “great jeans” ad campaign with Sydney Sweeney, which used a double entendre that drew accusations of promoting eugenics, it seemed many critics overlooked that the clothing retailer’s chief executive is a leading Jewish philanthropist who has long been committed to fighting antisemitism. It was the sort of irony befitting Jay Schottenstein, 71, a mild-mannered billionaire entrepreneur from Columbus, Ohio, who oversees a sprawling business network that, in addition to American Eagle, includes DSW, the designer shoe chain he leads as executive chairman, among other holdings in wine, real estate and furniture, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports.
Quiet contributions: But outside of philanthropic circles — where he is widely recognized as one of the most consequential sponsors of Jewish causes in the United States and Israel — his relatively private lifestyle has otherwise obscured his long-standing dedication to a range of issues including educational efforts, archeological research and translations of Jewish texts. “I think most people really don’t know who he is,” said Brad Kastan, a Jewish Republican donor who lives in Columbus and has long been friendly with Schottenstein. “He kind of keeps a low profile.”
TRIP TALK
Sarah Huckabee Sanders completes first trip to Israel as Arkansas governor
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders returned to the U.S. on Sunday following a nearly weeklong trip to Israel aimed at boosting Arkansas’ diplomatic and economic ties with the Jewish state, Sanders told Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs in an interview. The trade delegation was Sanders’ first official visit to Israel as governor and her first time visiting the Jewish state since her father, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, was confirmed to his role in April.
Meeting the people: “It was an amazing trip,” Sanders told JI in an interview. “The thing that stands out and is so amazing to see in person is just the resiliency of the people of Israel and just their steadfast commitment. Getting to visit with people that are living the day-to-day challenges that they are and yet, they’re still showing up for work, they’re still going to school, they’re still running their businesses and continuing on in the face of some pretty uphill, significant challenges is amazing.”
CHRISTIAN CONCERNS
Trump-aligned evangelicals push Republicans to call out antisemitism on the right
President Donald Trump came into office promising to make tackling antisemitism a priority of his second term. So far, the focus of that effort has been almost exclusively on addressing left-wing and Islamist antisemitism, primarily tied to anti-Israel extremism — while leaving out antisemitism emerging from the political right. Now, a group of staunch Trump allies from within the evangelical Christian community is urging Republicans to also focus on countering what they describe as a growing threat of antisemitism from within their own camp, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
Around town: Last month, an organization called the Conference of Christian Presidents for Israel hosted a meeting to discuss the topic at the Family Research Council, a powerful Christian advocacy group. Billed as a “private roundtable for key Christian leaders,” according to the event invitation, it identified right-wing antisemitism as a high-stakes challenge: “It is vital that Christian leaders counter the forces on the right who are demonizing the state of Israel, its leadership and the Jewish people,” stated the invitation, which was obtained by JI. Later that day, the Christian Conference co-hosted an event on the Trump administration’s policies in the Middle East with the Heritage Foundation.
eye on academia
Trump’s latest D.C. target: George Washington University
George Washington University became the latest target of the Trump administration’s crackdown on campus antisemitism on Tuesday when the Department of Justice notified the D.C. private school that it is in violation of federal civil rights law. In a letter addressed to GW President Ellen Granberg, the DOJ described the university administration as “deliberately indifferent” to antisemitism on campus and claimed that it took “no meaningful action” to combat increased antisemitism since the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attacks, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports. More than 25% of the undergraduate students on GW’s campus identify as Jewish.
Community reactions: Teddy Schneiderman, a rising junior at GW who is president of the campus chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi, told JI that if the university makes changes in light of the government crackdown, he would like to see it provide a campus police presence at Jewish events and institutions, such as Shabbat dinners. Rabbi Levi Shemtov, the executive vice president of American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad), which oversees Chabad’s national and local activities, including on GW’s campus, told JI that during the anti-Israel encampment, he would have agreed with the government’s allegation of GW’s indifference. “I’ll never forget what I saw with my own eyes for weeks,” Shemtov said. “But I do believe things have slightly improved, given President Granberg’s increased focus on the problem.”
comeback king
Sherrod Brown, a pro-Israel progressive, to make bid to return to the Senate against Sen. Husted
Former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) is set to make a bid to return to the Senate in 2026, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Brown, who lost his 2024 reelection race by four points to Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH), will challenge Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH), who was appointed earlier this year to fill Vice President JD Vance’s seat. President Donald Trump carried the state by more than 11 points in 2024, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Record: The progressive Brown remained relatively popular in the state even as it has trended increasingly red in recent years, and maintained strong ties with the state’s large Jewish community. In late 2024, Brown voted against Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) first efforts to block certain U.S. arms transfers to Israel. In 2022, Brown said that he believed that support for Israel was a majority position in both parties, and that those who opposed the Jewish state were a small group of “outliers,” rejecting the notion that “progressive values” were incompatible with support for Israel. He also staked out relatively hawkish positions on Iran and its proxies last year.
Worthy Reads
Demographic Dynamics: Tablet’s Armin Rosen considers the circumstances that led to New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s primary victory and lack of significant opposition. “For the past decade, New York has reflected the illusions of its rising power centers: namely, young and often childless transplanted degree holders living off public or family subsidies or sometimes both. This is an inherently mobile and perhaps even temporary population that either is insulated from the consequences of urban decline or believes its own values and worldview to be the solution to the evident problems in its midst. Mamdani’s impending victory isn’t the result of what he believes or promises, but of the slow death of New York’s pragmatic and productive middle class and of its replacement with a new category of city dwellers who serve as the implementing middle layer between an activist government and the society it experiments upon. New York is now a city with hundreds of thousands of little Zohran Mamdanis, an agenda-setting constituency of the subsidized that’s at last found a leader and a voice.” [Tablet]
Campus Clashes: The Atlantic‘s Rose Horowitch looks at the ideological split pitting the chancellor of Princeton against the leaders of Washington University and Vanderbilt over how to approach campus climate and governance issues amid legal efforts by the Trump administration to punish schools over their handling of antisemitism. “University officials — led by Washington University’s Andrew Martin and Vanderbilt’s Daniel Diermeier, the chancellors who sparred with [Princeton President Christopher] Eisgruber on the panel — make up the reformist camp. They accept some of Trump’s complaints and believe that the best path forward for higher education is to publicly commit to a kind of voluntary, modified de-wokeification. They argue that some campuses (in, say, Cambridge and Morningside Heights) and departments (much of the humanities) have leaned too far into leftist ideology and allowed anti-Semitism to fester under the guise of protesting Israeli policies. They want the American public to know that they are different from the Ivies. And they think that higher education needs new representation if it’s going to regain the country’s trust.” [TheAtlantic]
Pivot to Asia: In The Wall Street Journal, Seth Cropsey and Joseph Epstein make the case for expanding the Abraham Accords to the Caucasus and Central Asia, citing existing coordination and ties between Israel and a number of countries in the region. “A strategic enlargement of the accords would counter adversaries, diversify supply chains, and build a bloc of moderate, pro-Western Muslim-majority nations aligned with the U.S. and Israel. It would also showcase Israeli outreach, helping counter the anti-Israel global narrative. These nations already maintain strong relationships with Jerusalem. Azerbaijan is Israel’s closest Muslim ally, supplying up to 40% of Israel’s oil and receiving advanced weapons systems in return, which was key to Baku’s success in two wars since 2020. Kazakhstan also is among Israel’s top oil suppliers, and Uzbekistan has stepped in to fill key export gaps like copper after the Turkish boycott.” [WSJ]
Word on the Street
Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX), the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, ruled out a run in what could be Texas’ new 35th District, amid a mid-decade redistricting effort by state GOP officials; Casar would be likely to face off against Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) in a member-on-member primary in Texas’ 37th District, despite Doggett’s efforts to encourage Casar to run in the 35th, which President Donald Trump won by 10 points last year…
In an interview with CNN’s Bianna Golodryga, Foreign Press Association head Ian Williams equated Hamas to U.S. political parties and questioned the terror group’s designation, saying, “We don’t kill journalists for being Republicans or Democrats or Labour Party. Hamas is a political organization, as well as a terrorist organization, perhaps”; the Anti-Defamation League condemned Williams’ “outrageous” comments, saying that the “dangerous normalization” of Hamas’ activities “has no place in journalism”…
The upstate New York man who fired a gun outside Albany’s Temple Israel in December 2023, yelling “Free Palestine” during the attack, was sentenced to 10 years in state prison…
The Wall Street Journal looks at Hal Steinbrenner’s ownership of the New York Yankees, comparing his management of the Bronx Bombers to his father George, whom the WSJ says “ran the New York Yankees with all the patience of an Upper West Sider stuck behind a tourist in the whitefish line at Zabar’s”…
Four years after switching to a plant-based menu, Eleven Madison Park is adding meat items to its repertoire — dashing the dreams of some foodies who had hoped the famed Manhattan eatery, which has three Michelin stars, could secure kosher certification…
The Forward spotlights the century-old Congregation B’nai Jacob in Charleston, W.V., as the synagogue, which has been led by Rabbi Victor Urecki since 1986, transitions to new leadership, under Rabbi Adam Berman, for just the third time since 1932…
Organizers of the Toronto International Film Festival rescinded the invitation to show the documentary “The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue,” about the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks, at its upcoming festival, citing the use of Hamas footage of the attacks that had not been cleared for use by the terror group; Canada’s Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs called the decision “shameful” and “unconscionable”…
France’s transportation minister confirmed that an air traffic controller in Paris who told El Al pilots to “free Palestine” was suspended and will face disciplinary measures over the incident…
The State Department released its annual global human rights report; the Israel section of this year’s report, the release of which was delayed by several months, was shorter than last year’s report and does not include mention of the humanitarian situation in Gaza…
Israeli hostage families are calling for a day-long strike on Sunday, despite a lack of support from the Histradut, the country’s main labor union…
Israel is in talks with the government of South Sudan about potentially resettling some of the population of Gaza in the East African nation…
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had “lost the plot” regarding Gaza…
World Central Kitchen confirmed video footage shared by the Israeli Defense Forces that showed five armed individuals using a car that was marked with a fake WCK logo; WCK said it “strongly condemn[ed] anyone posing as WCK or other humanitarians as this endangers civilians and aid workers”…
The U.S. is working to facilitate the creation of a humanitarian corridor between Israel and the southern Syria city of Sweida; U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, Washington’s Syria envoy, is slated to meet in Paris next week with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani to discuss the effort…
The Washington Post spotlights the ongoing effort to find American journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared in Syria in 2012…
The foreign ministers of the U.K., France and Germany told the U.N. they would be open to reimposing sanctions on Iran if Tehran does not return to nuclear negotiations with Western powers…
Iran’s police spokesperson said authorities in the country had detained 21,000 people during Tehran’s 12-day war with Israel in June…
Pic of the Day
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) spoke on Tuesday at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Chabad Jewish Community Center in Sioux Falls, S.D., the first Jewish center of its kind in the state.
Birthdays
Israeli Olympic long-distance runner, she ran the marathon for Israel at the Paris Olympics in 2024, Maor Tiyouri turns 35…
Member of the New York State Assembly for 24 years, since then she has been the county clerk of Queens County, Audrey I. Pheffer turns 84… Retired CPA and senior executive in Los Angeles, Morton Algaze turns 82… Treasury secretary of the United States during the four years of the Biden administration, Janet Yellen turns 79… Documentary still photographer of the American and international Jewish communities since 1970, Robert A. Cumins turns 77… Beverly Hills, Calif., resident, Ruth Fay Kellerman… VP and chief of staff at the Aspen Institute, James M. Spiegelman turns 67… Film producer, writer and director, Susan Landau Finch turns 65… Founder of the Council of Orthodox Jewish Organizations of Manhattan, he is also the executive chairman of LifeHealth Network, Michael Landau… Co-chairman of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, Michael De Luca turns 60… Storyteller, producer and writer, Jeffrey Mark “Slash” Coleman turns 58… Editor-in-chief of The Hollywood Reporter, Maer Roshan turns 58… Founder and managing director at Beacon Global Strategies, Jeremy B. Bash turns 54… President of Accessibility Partners, a Maryland firm that hires people with disabilities for tech jobs, she is also the founder of a nonprofit Support the Girls, Dana Marlowe… Three-time Olympian water polo player, now assistant coach at Pepperdine, Merrill Marc Moses turns 48… Professor of government at Harvard University, he was the director of the Harvard Center for Jewish Studies, Eric Matthew Nelson turns 48… Professor of law at the South Texas College of Law in Houston, Joshua Michael Blackman turns 41… Deputy general counsel and global head of contracts and litigation for Tower Research Capital, Matthew Weiss turns 39… Weekend editor for The Washington Post, Sara Sorcher… Attorney at Fried Frank, Nathan Jablow… Account supervisor for crisis communications at Edelman, Jodie Michelle Singer… VP of business development at Azul Hospitality Group, Adam Dahan… Founder of Israel-based AlignUp Advisory Services, David Angel… Elaine Hall… Jonathan Gerber…
As his party becomes more critical of Israel, Brown’s views on the Middle East will likely be in the spotlight for his political comeback
Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
Democratic senate candidate, then-Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), addresses volunteers at a campaign office on November 4, 2024 in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.
Former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) is set to make a bid to return to the Senate in 2026, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Brown, who lost his 2024 reelection race by four points to Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH), will challenge Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH), who was appointed earlier this year to fill Vice President JD Vance’s seat. President Donald Trump carried the state by more than 11 points in 2024.
The progressive Brown remained relatively popular in the state even as it has trended increasingly red in recent years, and maintained strong ties with the state’s large Jewish community. He had also been floated as a potential gubernatorial candidate in 2026, but was strongly courted by Senate Democrats to make a comeback bid.
In late 2024, Brown voted against Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) first efforts to block certain U.S. arms transfers to Israel.
“Senator Brown strongly believes that Israel has a clear and undeniable right to defend itself against Hamas’ brutal terrorism and voted to send military aid to Israel, along with much-needed humanitarian aid to Gaza,” a Brown spokesperson said prior to the vote. “Ultimately, Senator Brown believes that Israel and Hamas must agree to a ceasefire that ends the war, frees the hostages, and delivers desperately needed humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people.”
Numerous Democrats have since shifted their position on the issue, citing the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza.
In 2022, Brown said that he believed that support for Israel was a majority position in both parties, and that those who opposed the Jewish state were a small group of “outliers,” rejecting the notion that “progressive values” were incompatible with support for Israel.
The former Ohio senator, then the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, took a relatively hawkish position on Iran last year, pressing the administration, after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks, to re-freeze Iranian funds previously released under a deal to free Americans held hostage in Iran.
Brown also called on the Biden administration, in early 2024, to re-impose a Foreign Terrorist Organization designation on the Houthis.
Husted has generally been seen as a moderate and has maintained a pro-Israel record in office, opposing efforts to block weapons transfers to Israel, joining with nearly all other Senate Republicans in demanding full dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear program, supporting American and Israeli strikes on Iran and backing legislation to increase sanctions on Iran.
Speaking at a Senate hearing on campus antisemitism, Husted said that the disruptions in the days after the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attacks appeared coordinated.