Democratic Majority for Israel’s political action committee, established last year to support pro-Israel Democrats, is set to release a post-primary season round of congressional endorsements today.
The list, shared exclusively with Jewish Insider, includes mostly incumbent senators running for reelection this year and House members.
Among the 84 endorsees are seven Senate challengers, who are running in key swing states:
- Jaime Harrison, who is running against Sen. Linsdey Graham (R-SC)
- Theresa Greenfield, who is running against Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA)
- Cal Cunningham, who his running against first-term Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC)
- Mark Kelly, who is looking to unseat Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ), who assumed office last year when she was picked to succeed the late Sen. John McCain
- Jon Ossoff, who is running against first-term Sen. David Perdue (R-GA)
- Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, who is running against Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT)
- Al Gross, who is running against first-term Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK)
DMFI President and CEO Mark Mellman described the group of endorsees as “pro-Israel champions who have consistently demonstrated a steadfast commitment to our Democratic values, including maintaining the United States’ alliance with Israel.”
Among the new House candidates endorsed by DMFI’s PAC are:
- Amy Kennedy, who is running against Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) — who switched parties last year — in New Jersey’s 2nd district
- Dan Feehan, who is running against Rep. Jim Hagedorn (R-MN) in Minnesota’s 1st district
- Jackie Gordon, who is competing against Republican candidate Andrew Garbarin to succeed retiring Rep. Peter King (R-NY) in New York’s 2nd district
DMFI has already endorsed 27 candidates since March. The pro-Israel group boasted that only one candidate they endorsed — Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY), who was defeated by Jamaal Bowman in the Democratic primary in New York’s 16th district — had lost their race to date.
Bonus: The Republican Jewish Coalition is spending $1 million on two television ads in support of two Jewish House candidates in key swing districts. In Pennsylvania’s 7th district, the RJC ad highlights the personal story of Lisa Scheller — who as a teenager was addicted to heroin and occasionally homeless, but went on to receive treatment and eventually took over one of the largest manufacturing companies in the region — who is challenging Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA) in November. In New Jersey’s 3rd district, the 30-second ad — supporting Republican candidate David Richter — attacks Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ), who flipped the district in 2018, over Kim’s role as head of the Iraq file on the Obama-era National Security Council.