The commanding twin victories of J Street champions Jerry Nadler and Jamaal Bowman in two highly competitive New York primaries mark a major win for J Street and a significant strengthening of pro-Israel, pro-peace representation in the next Congress.
“Reps. Nadler and Bowman have shown strong and principled pro-Israel, pro-peace leadership, so it’s great news they’ll both be returning to Congress,” said Kevin Rachlin, J Street VP of Public Affairs. “We’re thrilled for them to be joined by a slew of incoming champions who we know will fight for our values and protect democratic freedoms both at home and abroad.”
J Street invested $200,000 in supporting Bowman and Nadler through their independent expenditure arm, the J Street Action Fund. J Street has endorsed 131 primary candidates in 2022, with 126 winning their races.
“Every cycle, the transformation in the Democratic party continues with positions on the Israeli-Palestinian issue becoming more principled, thoughtful and forward thinking. It’s an unstoppable shift, no matter how many millions AIPAC and its affiliates sink into these races,” Rachlin said. “Candidates know that support for Israel is no longer synonymous with supporting the settlement movement and Netanyahu-types on the Israeli right.”
High-profile newcomers who are all but certain to win safe House and Senate seats include Delia Ramirez (IL-3), Summer Lee (PA-12), Greg Casar (TX-35), Jeff Jackson (NC-14), Sydney Kamlager (CA-37), Becca Balint (VT-AL), Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) and Peter Welch (VT).
High-profile challengers aiming to flip seats in Congress include John Fetterman (PA), Cheri Beasley (NC), Mandela Barnes (WI) and Tim Ryan (OH) in the Senate and Will Rollins (CA-41), Jay Chen (CA-45), Hillary Scholten (MI-3), Jamie McLeod-Skinner (OR-5) and Andrea Salinas (OR-6) in the House.