Jewish lawmakers groan at "Genocide Josh" campaign
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Josh Shapiro speaks during a campaign rally for Vice President Kamala Harris on July 29 in Ambler, Pennsylvania. Photo: Hannah Beier/Getty Images
A campaign to scuttle Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro as a Democratic vice presidential prospect, largely over his support for Israel, is facing pushback from Jewish members of Congress across the political spectrum.
Why it matters: The uniquely fierce opposition to Shapiro — who is Jewish and whose views on Israel are similar to other potential VP candidates — is an all-too-familiar dynamic for some Jewish lawmakers.
- "I think there is that sense that somehow we're not objective [on Israel] because we're Jewish, which is just not true or fair," Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) told Axios.
- Landsman added: "There are a lot of members who are pro-Israel who have been protested against — I think as Jews it feels particularly intense and personal."
State of play: A campaign called "No Genocide Josh," reportedly led by left-wing activists, is pressuring Harris to reject Shapiro as her VP pick.
- "It is in Harris's and the Democrats' best interests to ... ensure that both their new VP pick and their platform support the majority of Democrats and Americans who want social and economic justice for workers and an immediate ceasefire in Palestine," the group's website says.
- The campaign aims at Shapiro's comparison of some pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses to the Ku Klux Klan, as well as his opposition to a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.
- The site also goes after Shapiro's support for private school vouchers and his office settling a sexual harassment case against a top aide.
Between the lines: A story in The Atlantic on Wednesday noted that Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the two other top VP contenders, are not facing such campaigns despite having similarly pro-Israel politics.
- "Activists have not organized in force to discredit any of the non-Jewish contenders for vice president on these grounds. There are no viral memes against 'Killer Kelly' or 'War-Crimes Walz,'" author Yair Rosenberg wrote.
- Several high-profile Jewish lawmakers, including Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), have since called out what they say is an antisemitic double standard.
What they're saying: Rep. Kathy Manning (D-N.C.) told Axios in a statement that Shapiro has been a "highly successful governor" whose position on Israel "is in line with the position of the Biden-Harris Administration."
- "To judge him differently from any other potential VP candidate simply because he is Jewish is highly offensive and smacks of antisemitism," she said.
- Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.), a progressive who has criticized the Israeli war effort, said she hopes "all the potential VP picks are being given the same level of scrutiny on all the issues."
- "This is but another example that those who claim to be anti-Zionist are in fact, antisemites. Josh Shapiro has supported Israel, as have all the others that Harris is considering," said Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), noting Kelly's "strong record of voting pro-Israel."
- "I believe all the contenders have similar if not exact positions on Israel," Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), another progressive, told Axios. "Why is [Shapiro] different from the others?"
The other side: Some anti-Shapiro advocates have argued Shapiro is distinctly pro-Israel, noting that as Pennsylvania attorney general in 2021, he threatened to sue Ben & Jerry's for refusing to sell ice cream to Israeli settlements in the West Bank
- Others point to Shapiro's record on vouchers as a far more pertinent issue: "My understanding is that it's the charter school stuff … teachers are loud in the labor movement," one pro-Israel House Democrat told Axios.
- The "No Genocide Josh" campaign did not respond to a request for comment on this story.
Zoom out: For some lawmakers, concerns about antisemitism in the political scene far transcend the VP selection process.
- "There are comments in my social media from the left that are absolutely, categorically antisemitic … and my kids see that. It sucks," said Landsman.
- "We all feel like antisemitism is rampant," said another Jewish House Democrat, who said Jewish lawmakers are "all worried about" Shapiro facing antisemitism in the general election if he is placed on the ticket.
The bottom line: Balint called for unity around whoever Harris picks, saying they will get her "full-throated endorsement and my deep commitment to fight like hell to get them both elected."
- "We can't be screwing around. All in, Day 1," she added.
