Former President Donald Trump is leading over Vice President Kamala Harris among Jewish likely voters in New York, Fox News reported. This flip marks a shift for the GOP in that demographic in the Democratic stronghold.
The Siena College Research Institute poll, taken July 28 through Aug. 1, shows that Trump leads Harris 50% to 49% among Jewish voters. This marks a change from June when Trump trailed President Joe Biden 46% to 52% in the same demographic.
Sentiments have shifted with Biden out of the race and Harris his presumptive replacement. The perception is that she's not as pro-Israel as Biden, and the polling reflects that.
#New @SienaResearch General Election Poll - New York - Jewish voters
🔴 Trump 50% (+1)
🔵 Harris 49%Siena #A+ - 100 LV - 8/1
— Political Polls (@PpollingNumbers) August 6, 2024
Harris is still outpolling Trump by 53% to 39% overall among New York voters. She's even improved the margin from Biden's lead, which was only at 10 points at its highest.
However, Harris has a problem among Jewish voters because she is increasingly siding against Israel in the conflict with Hamas. This is a break from the way the president and the Democratic Party have handled the war in the Gaza Strip.
The vice president demonstrated this in her lack of warmth toward Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or his position. "I believe that we have got to continue to enforce what we know to be and should be the priorities in terms of what is happening in Gaza," Harris said when asked if he was an "obstacle to peace" by the press.
"We've been very clear that far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed. We have been very clear that Israel and the Israeli people and Palestinians are entitled to an equal amount of security and dignity."
Harris called for an "immediate cease-fire" in March and was the first in the administration to do so. She also threatened Israel that there would be "consequences" if it invited the city of Rafah.
Trump hammered Harris for her stance on Israel when Netanyahu visited the U.S. last month, according to the New York Post. The former president hosted the Israeli leader at this Mar-a-Lago residence while Harris met with Netanyahu at the White House.
The contrast in how each treated the leader is likely to help garner more votes for the GOP contender. "I think her remarks were disrespectful, they weren’t very nice pertaining to Israel," Trump said on July 26.
"I actually don’t know how a person who is Jewish could vote for her," the former president added. This followed remarks made by Harris' husband, Doug Emhoff, who is Jewish, that Israel was killing "far too many" people in its counterstrikes on Hamas.
"She’s a radical-left person — San Francisco, destroyed San Francisco. She’s really a destroyer. She doesn’t know how to build," Trump said of Harris.
Many believe that New York will remain solidly Democratic no matter what happens. However, polls showing a shift could point to a larger trend to come as Trump and Harris diverge on what to do about the conflict between Hamas and Israel.
