The Forward: Trump’s warning to Jewish voters is now a flashpoint in tight House race

A report in The Forward outlines DCCC Red to Blue candidate Mondaire Jones' new six-figure ad calling out vulnerable New York Republican Mike Lawler "for defending Trump's remarks blaming Jews if he loses the election."

Despite representing one of the largest Jewish-American communities in the country, Mike Lawler has repeatedly refused to condemn convicted felon Donald Trump's attacks on Jewish Americans during a time of heightened antisemitism both in New York and across the country:

• Lawler was silent after Trump said there will be a "bloodbath" if he loses in November.

• Lawler was silent after Trump shared a video on Truth Social that referenced a "unified Reich" - a term widely associated with Nazi Germany.

• Just the other week, as Jones' ad points out, Lawler ardently defended Trump's latest attack on Jewish Americans, claiming that Trump "wasn't blaming Jewish people."

In addition to defending Trump's antisemitic rhetoric, Lawler endorsed a county legislator who has based his political career on verbally attacking Rockland County's Orthodox Jewish community.

Mike Lawler was also recently endorsed by Elon Musk, a virulent antisemite who is pouring $700,000 into Lawler's re-election bid.

DCCC Spokesperson Ellie Dougherty:
"Mike Lawler's self-professed allyship with his Jewish constituents is performative, and his ardent defense of the former president's antisemitic rhetoric further proves that."

The Forward: Trump's warning to Jewish voters is now a flashpoint in tight House race
Jacob Kornbluh | September 27, 2024

KEY POINTS:

• In upstate New York, former Rep. Mondaire Jones is ready to launch a new digital ad blasting Rep. Mike Lawyer for defending President Donald Trump's widely criticized remarks earlier this month blaming American Jews should he lose the presidential election.

• American Jewish groups condemned Trump's remarks, delivered in back-to-back speeches to Jewish audiences. The American Jewish Committee called Trump's statements "outrageous and dangerous." Others called them antisemitic.

• Lawler offered a different interpretation.

• Trump "wasn't blaming Jewish people," he said in an interview with CNN the following day. "What he was saying, at the end of the day, is if he doesn't win, it will be in part because Jewish people didn't vote for him."

• Lawler attended one of the events, called "Fighting Antisemitism in America," and Trump acknowledged him from the stage.

• The Jones campaign said the ad, part of a six-figure ad buy, will target the estimated 16% of voters who are Jewish in the district, which includes Rockland County's sprawling Hasidic communities.

• A Lawler spokesperson didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

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