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October 15, 2020 |
Your weekly look at the latest news, analysis, and RJC activities around the country. |
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— Featured —
NC Senate Race Update – Thom Tillis
Back in July, in a "Notes from Norm" about the North Carolina Senate race, I discussed the contest pitting first-term incumbent Republican Senator Thom Tillis against Democrat Cal Cunningham. I said that this race was likely to come down to whether Tillis could convince voters that his opponent would be a liberal Schumer loyalist, despite his efforts to portray himself as a moderate.
Since then, more than one hundred million dollars have poured into the Tarheel State, and the total is likely to surpass two hundred million. The watchdog web site Open Secrets predicts that the Tillis-Cunningham race will be most expensive Senate race in American history. The reason is simple: This is the race most likely to determine which party controls the Senate next year.
Another consequential recent development was that Cunningham became embroiled in a sex scandal. As of this writing, it's too early to tell whether the damage to the Democrat's reputation will drag down his candidacy. For a candidate who has tried to run as a generic Democrat, it can't be helpful if the thing he's best known for is a negative.
The Cunningham news overshadowed Senator Tillis' successful fight against the coronavirus. But it should not be overlooked - Tillis is a fighter who proved his mettle in a close and expensive race in 2014. North Carolina is still a center-right state, and no one should bet against Thom Tillis.
The RJC PAC has endorsed Thom Tillis. You can help him win by clicking here to support his campaign.
Please watch this space for more in-depth analysis on individual races in the critical 2020 elections. If you’d like to share your thoughts with me on any of these races, please email me at [email protected]. Click here to see previous "Notes from Norm."
The RJC’s ad campaigns this year keep making news. Jacob Kornbluh at Jewish Insider reports on our efforts for Jewish Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY-1):
The Republican Jewish Coalition is dropping a massive ad buy and launching an aggressive get-out-the-vote effort to assist Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) in his tough reelection bid for New York’s 1st congressional district, Jewish Insider has learned.
…The ad, labeled “Nancy,” paints Zeldin’s Democratic opponent as a far-left candidate with radical views on Israel. In an interview, RJC executive director Matt Brooks described [Nancy] Goroff as a “radical J Street National Finance committee member whose views are far outside the mainstream of the Jewish community.”
Brooks told JI that his group felt it was important to make the substantial investment because Zeldin, one of two Jewish Republican members of Congress, is “such a critical voice on behalf of the Jewish community. A loss of Lee Zeldin from Congress would be a devastating blow and one our community cannot afford.”
See the ad here.
Ron Kampeas reports for JTA on projects in the Jewish community to help people vote, vote safely, and have their votes count. He notes the get-out-the-vote efforts of RJC and others:
Not all of this year’s election efforts are about safeguarding the vote. Partisan Jewish organizations are doing what they do every cycle: focusing on getting the vote out, especially in swing states where the margin between the winner and loser is likely to be narrow and Jewish voters could potentially influence the result.
… Matt Brooks, the Republican Jewish Coalition director, said his organization had reached over 410,000 “likely Trump and persuadable” voters in Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Arizona, Georgia and Michigan, all swing states where Jewish voters could make a difference.
Making the Case for Trump
One of the false claims that Democrats make against President Donald Trump is to blame him for antisemitism. Here are some articles that challenge that narrative.
In an interview with The Algemeiner, Trump campaign strategic advisor and head of Jewish Voices for Trump Boris Epshteyn emphasizes President Donald Trump's fight against antisemitism:
On the international front and domestically, the president has fought antisemitism everywhere and anywhere. He’s enabled federal agencies to combat antisemitism as a hate crime. He has fought antisemitism on college campuses, classifying it as a violation of a hate crime under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act...
Q: In three sentences: Why should Jewish and pro-Israel voters cast their vote for Trump?
A: Combating antisemitism. Championing Israel. Making America great again.
Andrew Stein, chairman of “Democrats for Trump,” answers the question: "Is Trump a better choice for Jewish voters than Biden?” He writes:
The Democratic Party is no longer a home for those concerned about anti-Semitism, Israel and many other issues important to America’s Jews…
As Democrats move to embrace more power for “intersectional” groups that leave out Jews, the power of the party’s anti-Semitic wing has grown in strength. Even after Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) made comments widely considered anti-Semitic and implying that American Jews had allegiance to a foreign power, the majority of House Democrats opposed condemning her remarks and watered down a resolution that would have repudiated anti-Semitism in favor of a general denunciation of all hate speech. Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), who strongly condemned Omar’s remarks, was primaried and defeated by the left.
Laureen Lipsky debunks the lie about “fine people on both sides” in Charlottesville, a lie that is still being told by the Democrats’ candidates for president and vice president. Lipsky quotes directly from Trump’s press conference in August 2017 and also reflects on President Trump’s personal connections with the Jewish community, which go back decades. Read it here.
The RJC is committed to reelecting President Donald Trump, keeping the Senate, and winning back the House. We encourage our members to participate in our outreach phonebank project to help Republicans win in November. It's easy, and you can do it from home! Here's how YOU can help:
- Sign up to call Jewish voters from home by clicking HERE.
- Fill out all of the fields.
- Listen to the instructions and write down your username and password when a member of the RJC Victory Team contacts you.
- Make as many phone calls as you can. Everyone you speak to is a potential vote for President Trump and the GOP!
Sign up now and you could be the next RJC Volunteer of the Week!
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The RJC PAC has endorsed a terrific slate of House and Senate candidates, and we need them to continue their work on Capitol Hill! CLICK HERE to donate through the RJC PAC portal and show your support for our great candidates!
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And don't forget your RJC/Trump kippah!
Our extremely popular red Trump kippah is now for sale for just $18. This includes shipping and handling. Supplies are limited.
BUY YOUR KIPPAH HERE.
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Orthodox Jews back Trump by massive margin, poll finds
A survey from the [Orthodox] community’s Ami Magazine found that a whopping 83 percent of Orthodox Jews said they will vote for Trump, compared to just 13% who said they’d support the Democratic Party’s nominee, Joe Biden. Four percent of respondents are undecided...
Israeli government approves normalization deal with UAE
The Israeli cabinet unanimously approved the country’s recently signed normalization agreement with the United Arab Emirates on Monday ahead of a ratification vote by parliament. The Knesset overwhelmingly ratified the peace agreement with the United Arab Emirates today, by a vote of 80 to 13.
Members of several oppressive regimes elected to the UN Human Rights Council
Thank you again, President Trump, for pulling the US out of the UN Human Rights Council in 2018. This week, Russia, China, Pakistan, and Cuba took seats on the council. The council is well known for harshly targeting Israel but not applying the same levels of scrutiny to other nations. It also routinely avoids examining the practices and behaviors of member states.
— Events —
RJC Victory Team National Days of Action
Please join us for the upcoming RJC Victory Team Virtual Days of Action on Sunday, October 18, Tuesday, October 20 and Thursday, October 22.
Starting Monday, October 26, we will be making calls EVERY DAY (except Saturday) until Election Day! It's not too late to join in for the last big push to get out the vote in Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Arizona, and Georgia, key battleground states of the 2020 election cycle. Click here to sign up and help!
While RJC offices are closed and our staff are teleworking, you can reach us by email or by phone (please leave a voicemail message and your call will be returned). Contact information for our offices can be found on our web site. Please visit us online for the latest RJC news, to volunteer for our 2020 outreach efforts, to see details of upcoming events, and to donate to the RJC.
If you like the work we’re doing, consider joining us on Facebook and Twitter, and renew or upgrade your RJC membership. Ensure that your voice is heard in our party and our community!
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Republican Jewish Coalition | 50 F Street, N.W., Suite 100 | Washington, DC 20001
202.638.6688 | [email protected]
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