By Democrats are losing ground with Jewish voters in one of the country’s bluest states, offering a warning to a party increasingly divided over Israel and its willingness to confront antisemitism on the left. CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten highlighted the shift Wednesday, showing that once-commanding Democratic advantages among New York Jewish voters have narrowed dramatically ahead of the midterms.
During an October 14 appearance on CNN’s News Central, Enten reviewed Siena University polling averages showing Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul leading among Jewish voters by about 13 percentage points. That compares with a 51-point advantage in 2022 and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s 55-point edge in 2018—a 38-point deterioration in the Democratic margin since Hochul’s last election.
CNN: Jewish support for Democrats in New York has collapsed
NY Generic Ballot Among Jews
2018: 🔵 Dem +40
2022: 🔵 Dem +49
2026: 🔵 Dem +13 pic.twitter.com/7JNR0hgsf2— OSZ (@OpenSourceZone) October 14, 2026
The congressional numbers tell much the same story. Democrats’ advantage among Jewish voters on the generic House ballot has fallen from 49 points in 2022 to 13 points this year. “Their lead is absolutely tumbled into the Hudson River among Jewish voters,” Enten said, while noting that Democrats still lead.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s standing illustrates the divide. The democratic socialist has a net favorability rating of positive 8 points among New York voters overall but negative 23 among Jewish voters, a 31-point gap. Hochul fares better with that constituency, posting a net favorability rating of positive 8 points among Jewish voters compared with positive 1 statewide.
Those figures arrive amid a series of controversies that have forced Jewish Democrats to confront uncomfortable questions about their own party. The polling does not establish how much of the shift stems from antisemitism or disagreements over Israel, but the erosion comes as prominent figures on the left face criticism over their responses to threats against Jewish Americans.
In Michigan, Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed drew backlash after following his initial condemnation of the March attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield with a statement discussing the attacker’s relatives killed in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon. His explanation included the phrase “Hurt people hurt people,” language critics understood as an effort to rationalize an attack on an American synagogue and its preschool.
El-Sayed later apologized during a meeting with Michigan’s Jewish Democratic caucus, saying, “I made a mistake.” He said he had intended to provide context, denied trying to justify domestic terrorism and acknowledged that his original condemnation should have stood on its own. The episode nevertheless exposed the danger of treating violence against American Jews as an occasion to explain grievances against Israel.
The problem extends beyond one candidate’s response to an attack. As New Conservative Post previously reported, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Kamala Harris’s vice presidential vetting team asked whether he had ever served as an agent for the Israeli government. Shapiro found the questioning offensive and questioned whether he faced different scrutiny as the only Jewish contender. Jewish critics said the exchange echoed the longstanding antisemitic accusation that American Jews hold divided loyalties.
NCP also noted the case of Texas Democratic congressional candidate Maureen Galindo, who proposed turning an immigration detention facility into a prison for “American Zionists.” Galindo, who finished first in the initial round of her Democratic primary, also promoted claims about Jewish Zionists controlling major institutions. The San Antonio Jewish Federation condemned the spread of antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories. These were statements about imprisoning Americans and alleged Jewish control, well beyond criticism of Israeli military policy.
In New York, Mamdani has faced his own criticism from Jewish organizations. More than 25 local groups opposed his recently unveiled antisemitism plan and called for a replacement. His administration has proposed security and educational measures, but critics argue that his approach fails to adequately address hostility toward Jews expressed through anti-Zionist rhetoric.
The political consequences could reach beyond the governor’s race. Enten pointed to New York’s 17th Congressional District, where Republican Rep. Mike Lawler faces Democrat Cait Conley in a district that narrowly supported Kamala Harris in 2024. With a substantial Jewish population, the district could become a test of whether Republican gains among those voters can offset other Democratic advantages. Jewish voters, Enten said, “may just save” Lawler’s seat.
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