Congressional candidate in Jew York defies AIPAC

[yankeedoodle]

De Blasio says he no longer supports AIPAC, and wouldn't accept its endorsement if offered
https://www.jta.org/2022/06/27/ny/de-blasio-says-he-no-longer-supports-aipac-and-wouldnt-accept-its-endorsement-if-offered

Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, running for Congress in the city's newly redrawn District 10, said he does not support AIPAC, the powerful pro-Israel lobby.

In a virtual candidate forum last Wednesday, in a discussion about campaign spending by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, de Blasio was asked point blank if he supports the organization.

"No, I don't," de Blasio said.

He said that he engaged with AIPAC in the past, but the organization has changed in a way that he called "unacceptable."

"I am not seeking their endorsement and would not accept it even if it were offered," de Blasio said.

De Blasio specifically mentioned progressive House candidate Nina Turner, who lost a primary election in Cleveland after AIPAC's affiliated PAC and other pro-Israel political action committees contributed heavily to her opponent's campaign. Turner had expressed solidarity with a Jewish group that accuses Israel of "apartheid" in its treatment of Palestinians.

"She's an incredibly important progressive leader," de Blasio said. "I thought the attack on her was not only horribly unjustified, it deprived our nation of someone who could have been a huge difference maker in terms of our progressive movement."

De Blasio added that he believes in a two-state solution in the Middle East, which "needs to be put back on the agenda."

"It's the only path forward to peace in the region for both Israeli and Palestinian people to have their own states," he said. "I would fight for that, and I would certainly fight against any organization that attacks my fellow progressives."

Despite its name, AIPAC did not directly raise money for candidates until launching its own affiliated PAC in 2020. Liberals criticized the AIPAC PAC in March when its list of congressional endorsees included Republicans who voted against certifying Joe Biden as president.

De Blasio spoke at one of AIPAC's annual policy conferences as recently as 2019.

In an interview with Jewish Insider, de Blasio emphasized that he has "a tremendous sense of personal loyalty to the State of Israel and to the Jewish community."

He said while Turner is a friend of his, that "doesn't mean I agree with every statement that she's made."

"From my understanding, Nina Turner thinks [U.S] aid [to Israel] should be conditioned," de Blasio said. "I disagree with that. I think we have to protect Israel."

De Blasio seems to be walking a thin line on Israel in a race in which he hopes to gain both the progressive vote and endorsements from haredi Orthodox leaders in a district that now includes Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. He met with the latter last week and apologized for a tweet he wrote as mayor in 2020, criticizing the Jewish community for flouting COVID-19 restrictions.

He is one of 15 candidates running for the Democratic nomination, including Rep. Mondaire Jones, Councilwoman Carlina Rivera and Jewish attorney Dan Goldman. Another hopeful, Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou, has already been endorsed by the progressive Working Families Party.

[abduLMaria]

I've been reading about de Blasio for 10+ years.

This is the first time he's done something truly admirable.

[yankeedoodle]

De Blasio's exit from House race leaves two Jewish candidates in the hunt
https://www.jta.org/2022/07/19/ny/de-blasios-exit-from-house-race-leaves-two-jewish-candidates-in-the-hunt

Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio dropped out of the race for District 10's congressional seat on Tuesday, leaving behind a crowded field of candidates that includes two Jews in striking distance.

De Blasio said in a video he posted to Twitter that "people are looking for another option" for the district, which includes lower Manhattan and much of brownstone Brooklyn, including some Orthodox neighborhoods.

"Time for me to leave electoral politics and focus on other ways to serve," he said in the video, following polling showing the former mayor near last place with only 5% of the vote, according to City & State New York.   

The same poll showed Council member Carlina Rivera in the lead with 17% of the vote, and progressive Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou in second with 14%. 

De Blasio added that he had made mistakes in the past and wants to do better in the future. 

"I want to learn from those mistakes," de Blasio said. "It's been a humbling experience at times."

De Blasio debated running for governor this year, and had a failed presidential run in 2020.

At one point, it seemed that de Blasio was close to securing an endorsement from Borough Park Orthodox leaders, after apologizing for a tweet he made rebuking Jewish people gathering during COVID lockdowns in 2020. 

In a video first published by Hamodia, de Blasio was seen being asked about the tweet. "It was a mistake and I shouldn't have done it," de Blasio said in the video. "It was a moment of passion and pain over what was happening in the city."

Niou found herself in hot water last week when she told Jewish Insider that she supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement targeting Israel. 

"I believe in the right to protest as a fundamental tenet of western democracy, so I do support BDS," Niou said.

Dan Goldman, who was the lead lawyer in the first impeachment of former President Donald Trump, is polling third with 12% of the vote. 

Yitzchok Fleischer, a representative of the Bobov community, told the New York Jewish Week that he was looking at Goldman, who is Jewish, as a second choice after showing support for de Blasio last month. 

Goldman, however, is in hot water after telling the Orthodox Jewish newspaper Hamodia that he wouldn't object to certain restictions on when an abortion might be performed. Rival candidates slammed him, and he walked back his statement Tuesday, saying, "There is no room for government involvement [in abortion] at any point in time, for any reason."

Former U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman, who is also Jewish, is polling at a surprising 9%, making the Jewish candidates still competitive players in the primary. Holtzman, 80, served in Congress from 1973 to 1981.

Rep. Mondaire Jones, who is both a progressive and pro-Israel, is still in the fight, polling at 7%, and has a $3 million war chest, according to City & State New York. 

The 10th district was previously represented by Rep. Jerry Nadler, the sole remaining Jewish House member representing New York City. He is in a fight for in the newly redistricted 12th against the longtime incumbent Rep. Carolyn Maloney. 

The Democratic primary for the Congressional seat in District 10 will take place on Aug. 23.