Protesters stormed the New Hampshire stage where Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) was speaking, chanting "Jews against DeSantis!"
During the largest annual fundraising dinner for the New Hampshire Republican Party, DeSantis spoke about his electoral and legislative victories in Florida as governor, according to a report by Breitbart News.
“I got elected governor in 2018 by 32,000 votes out of more than eight million votes cast — less than one-half of one percent was my margin of victory,” DeSantis said. “To be honest, that was not out of character for Florida.”
Then, as DeSantis described prior election cycles in Florida, two female demonstrators with Hebrew signs and chants of "Jews against DeSantis!" rushed the stage.
“The previous decade, if you looked at governor races, presidential races, 2010, 2012, ’14, ’16, ’18,” DeSantis said as he looked over at the protesters, who were nabbed by security. “Yeah, thank you.”
“You got to have a little spice in the speech. You got to have a little fun,” DeSantis joked as the protesters were taken off the stage by security. “Why you’d want to pay the ticket just to get in to do that I don’t know, but different strokes for different folks.”
DeSantis has not yet declared his candidacy for president in 2024, but he is expected to enter the Republican field, which currently includes former President Donald Trump and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley.
Jews in America have long been known to vote Democrat, with a historical propensity dating back to the early 20th century.
According to a 2020 Pew Research Center survey, around 71% of Jewish Americans identified as Democrats or leaned towards the Democratic Party, while only 25% identified as Republicans or leaned towards the Republican Party.
This trend is rooted in the Jewish American community's alignment with progressive values and issues.
Historically, Jewish immigrants to the United States were drawn to the Democratic Party's support for labor unions, social welfare programs, and civil rights.
Additionally, the Republican Party's alignment with conservative Christian values and their support for policies such as deregulation and tax cuts have not resonated with many Jewish Americans.
However, this trend has not been absolute, as there have been notable exceptions, such as the late Senator Joseph Lieberman, who was a Democrat for most of his career but became an independent in 2006 and endorsed Republican John McCain for president in 2008.
As the political landscape continues to shift, it remains to be seen whether the historical propensity of Jews to vote Democrat will continue or whether there will be a shift towards more conservative values.
