{"id":255287,"date":"2026-08-18T23:29:26","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T23:29:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/255287\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T23:29:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T23:29:26","slug":"gop-redistricting-tests-the-strength-of-floridas-pro-israel-democrats-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/255287\/","title":{"rendered":"GOP redistricting tests the strength of Florida\u2019s pro-Israel Democrats"},"content":{"rendered":"

JTA \u2014\u00a0Two Jewish women who have long represented Southeast Floridians in Congress will take on progressive opponents in Tuesday\u2019s Democratic primaries, where last-minute redistricting efforts have redrawn the electoral battle lines.<\/p>\n

This statewide shuffle stemmed from US President Donald Trump\u2019s push for GOP governors to reshape voting district boundaries, with the goal of strengthening the Republican party\u2019s majority on Capitol Hill. After Gov. Ron DeSantis urged state legislators to rewrite Florida\u2019s district map, they merged<\/a> multiple Democratic districts and reduced the number of seats expected to stay blue.<\/p>\n

Among these solidly blue districts are those where veteran Democrats, Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Lois Frankel, are competing on Tuesday. But the two women, both of whom are Israel supporters, will be facing brand new constituencies.<\/p>\n

Wasserman Schultz, who is seeking a 12th term, has been representing Fort Lauderdale and southern Broward County in Florida\u2019s 25th District. But on the new map, that district will stretch from Miami Beach to Delray Beach and is expected to turn red<\/a>, according to Ballotpedia.<\/p>\n

Wasserman Schultz has instead chosen to run in a redrawn 20th District, which will include most of Broward County\u2019s Black-majority precincts. Her move to that district has sparked significant unease<\/a> in a region that has sent Black Democrats to Congress since 1992, the Associated Press noted.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThat creates tensions between Wasserman Schultz and parts of the constituency,\u201d Luis Fleischman, a professor of sociology at Palm Beach State College, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. \u201cShe\u2019s trying to win that constituency, and that\u2019s a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though Wasserman Schultz is facing four rivals, all of whom are Black, her main competition is Elijah Manley, a 27-year-old gay activist who said he converted to Judaism<\/a> but is also a fierce critic<\/a> of Israel. Manley has described himself<\/a> as a Democratic socialist but is not a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.<\/p>\n

Stephen Sussman, a professor of public administration at Barry University, said he believes that Wasserman Schultz still has a chance at winning if the other candidates end up splitting the vote, since Florida primaries don\u2019t require a majority win.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reality of it is that all she needs is a plurality,\u201d Sussman added.<\/p>\n

But Fleischman said he could imagine the current tension turning into \u201ca Black-Jewish conflict\u201d that could end in her resignation.<\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s at the ballot box or a future resignation, Fleischman stressed that a Wasserman Schultz loss would be \u201ca lose-lose situation for the Jewish community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tRep. Lois Frankel speaks before Secretary of State Marco Rubio\u2019s testimony before the House Appropriations Committee, June 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Allison Robbert)<\/p>\n

Frankel, meanwhile, has been serving constituents from Delray to West Palm Beach in the 22nd District. The revamped District 22, also expected to turn red<\/a>, will instead cross from Palm Beach County in the east to Marco Island in the west. Frankel, who has been in Congress since 2013, will run in a reshaped 23rd District, which includes parts of Broward County and southern Palm Beach County.<\/p>\n

She will face retired attorney Victoria Doyle, whose priorities<\/a> focus on affordability, women\u2019s rights and immigration reforms.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tVictoria Doyle, left, holds a sign in protest of US President Donald Trump outside of his Mar-a-Lago estate, March 31, 2023, in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP Photo\/Lynne Sladky)<\/p>\n

Republicans today hold 20 of Florida\u2019s 28 US House seats, but with the consolidation of several solidly blue districts, the GOP could gain a few more. Florida is among the many states whose Republican governors have accelerated redistricting efforts, which usually only occur after a census is taken at the start of each new decade.<\/p>\n

Just over two decades ago, when Wasserman Schultz first took office as Florida\u2019s first Jewish congresswoman, she served what the Forward described<\/a> as \u201ca heavily Jewish swath of Broward County.\u201d She also advocated for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process in a centrist stance that departed from her hawkish predecessor, Peter Deutsch.<\/p>\n

Wasserman Schultz today lists Israel among her legislative priorities<\/a>, with an emphasis on \u201cthe threat of antisemitism<\/a> at home and abroad.\u201d She has stressed the Jewish state\u2019s right to defend itself while also expressing continued support for a two-state solution.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe understands that she has a strong Jewish constituency, and it\u2019s a very mixed Jewish constituency because many of them are recent immigrants,\u201d Fleishman said. \u201cShe has done a terrific job for Israel, no question about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tRep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz speaks during an event on Capitol Hill in Washington, February 14, 2024. (AP Photo\/Susan Walsh)<\/p>\n

Her main opponent, Manley, has been citing both her support of Israel and the financial backing her campaign receives from AIPAC in his messages against her.<\/p>\n

In a recent social media post<\/a>, Manley called Wasserman Schultz \u201ca key Netanyahu ally\u201d who has accepted \u201cmore pro-Israel PAC money than anyone else in Florida.\u201d He made these claims after the House Democratic Caucus appointed<\/a> her to the Foreign Affairs Committee, where she vowed to \u201cfight Trump\u2019s self-serving, America-last foreign policy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pro-Israel PACs have spent<\/a> around $1.5 million on Wasserman Schultz over the course of her career, according to Track AIPAC<\/a>, which uses Federal Election Commission data to document contributions from Israel-linked special interest groups. FEC filings from the current race link at least $250,000<\/a> to AIPAC. A lump sum of $250,000 came from Pro-Choice Majority Action<\/a>, an affiliate of the Elect Democratic Women Action Fund<\/a>, whose biggest funder is the United Democracy Project, AIPAC\u2019s super PAC.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tDemocratic candidate Elijah Manley participates in a forum for candidates in Florida\u2019s 20th congressional race, July 23, 2026, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (AP Photo\/Marta Lavandier)<\/p>\n

Manley, who has repeatedly slammed such contributions, earned the endorsement of Track AIPAC. He also appeared on Friday at a contentious \u201cChomp The Oligarchy\u201d rally in Fort Lauderdale, where a top DSA voice and Israel detractor, Michigan US House Rep. Rashida Tlaib, was a featured guest<\/a>, the Miami Herald reported.<\/p>\n

Among Manley\u2019s platforms<\/a> is a belief \u201cthat Israelis and Palestinians alike deserve to live in peace, safety, dignity, and freedom \u2014 with equal rights and the right to self-determination.\u201d That platform includes a condemnation of Hamas\u2019s October 7, 2023 onslaught on Israel, which he said \u201ckilled over 1,200 Israeli civilians and took hundreds of hostages.\u201d Most, but not all, of the some 1,200 people killed by invading Hamas-led terrorists were civilians of diverse nationalities. Manley\u2019s campaign also stressed that Israel\u2019s response has not qualified as self-defense and is instead \u201ca genocide, paid for by American taxpayers.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Sussman\u2019s mind, the idea of accusing Israel of committing genocide in this region of South Florida doesn\u2019t necessarily \u201cfly so well here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know many, many, many Jewish Democrats who would support Israel to their death,\u201d Sussman said, noting that Manley\u2019s position against Israel might be popular in other parts of the country. \u201cBut it doesn\u2019t necessarily fly here because we have old-time Democrats.\u201d<\/p>\n

Manley\u2019s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n

Wasserman Schultz, meanwhile, told JTA in a statement that Israel and AIPAC haven\u2019t typically come up \u201cin the thousands of conversations\u201d she\u2019s had on the campaign trail.<\/p>\n

\u201cVoters here always ask how I\u2019ll help lower gas, grocery and healthcare costs, and stop Trump\u2019s rampant cruelty and corruption,\u201d she stated.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tRep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, right, greets constituents at a National Night Out community event as she campaigns in Florida\u2019s 20th congressional district, August 4, 2026, in Plantation, Florida. (AP Photo\/Rebecca Blackwell)<\/p>\n

When constituents speak to her about foreign affairs, she said they focus on how to protect District 20 families who fear that the Trump administration could \u201cforce their family and friends to be deported back to brutal homelands plagued by lawless violence and oppressive poverty.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for the neighboring Frankel-Doyle race, Israel and AIPAC have not been major points of contention. Frankel is a staunch supporter<\/a> of Israel and has pledged \u201ccontinued security assistance to Israel and robust funding for Israel\u2019s missile defense capabilities.\u201d Pro-Israel PACs have spent<\/a> about $861,000 backing her over the course of her career, according to Track AIPAC.<\/p>\n

In a recent social media post<\/a>, Doyle acknowledged that \u201cIsrael is a sensitive subject.\u201d Doyle wrote in a Facebook comment that \u201cno matter what you say or do when it comes to Israel, someone will criticize if not attack you.\u201d<\/p>\n

In another comment, Doyle described Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s Israel as an \u201caggressor with not only no peace plan, but a seemingly endless plan of violence.\u201d She expressed hope that Israel will elect a leader \u201cwho commits her or himself to a lasting peace process\u201d and that the US will do its utmost to support that effort.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe major focus of our campaign is the need to get big money out of politics,\u201d the Victoria Doyle for Congress campaign said in an emailed statement.<\/p>\n

Accusing her opponent of taking \u201cmillions of dollars in special interest, corporate, big donor, and PAC money\u201d and calling out AIPAC as Frankel\u2019s biggest donor, the campaign stressed that Doyle \u201ctakes no PAC or special interest money, and runs a scrappy grassroots campaign centered on voters rather than donors.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor a while Frankel supporters attempted to label Victoria as \u2018antisemitic,\u2019 but the attack was laughably crude and unbelievable, seen more as Frankel\u2019s desperation and being out of touch with the new district than anything else,\u201d the statement added.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tRep. Lois Frankel speaks in support for the Equal Rights Amendment to be added to the US Constitution at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, October 21, 2021. (AP Photo\/Andrew Harnik)<\/p>\n

Frankel\u2019s campaign did not immediately reply to a request for comment.<\/p>\n

As a resident of Frankel\u2019s current district, Sussman credited Frankel for the work she has done on Jewish issues, stressing that \u201cJews here have felt very safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe never expect her to say anything crazy,\u201d he said. \u201cShe supports Israel. She supports Jewish life, Jewish community.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Sussman recognized that Doyle has launched a strong campaign and is \u201ca very serious challenger,\u201d whose progressive platforms might resonate with young voters.<\/p>\n

\u201cMuch of South Florida, we\u2019re getting younger and younger,\u201d he said, noting that West Palm Beach is attracting young families. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t necessarily be surprised if Lois lost.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sussman expressed concern about Doyle\u2019s ability or willingness to challenge more senior committee leaders on Israel-related issues. Stressing that Frankel has too much history \u201cto be bought at this point,\u201d he observed that someone like Doyle, who would be \u201cjust cutting their teeth,\u201d might not be as willing to stand up to pressure.<\/p>\n

Offering a similar perspective, Fleishman said it remains to be seen how she would vote on bills related to the Jewish state in Congress.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf she says she has no problem with Israel, I think it\u2019s a good thing,\u201d he added. \u201cThere is a lot of peer pressure in the Democratic Party, and that worries me tremendously.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JTA \u2014\u00a0Two Jewish women who have long represented Southeast Floridians in Congress will take on progressive opponents in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":255288,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[33],"tags":[7252,53871,1278,70457,37,63580,53412,4056,67041],"class_list":["post-255287","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-israel","tag-american-jews","tag-democratic-primaries","tag-florida","tag-florida-jews","tag-israel","tag-jewish-politicians","tag-party-primaries","tag-us-politics","tag-women-in-politics"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/117119114860738561","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255287","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=255287"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255287\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/255288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=255287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=255287"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=255287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}