Tue, Oct. 18, 2011 Posted: 02:40 PM EDT
Former Massachusetts Governor and Republican presidential
candidate Mitt Romney may be struggling to find support
among evangelicals, but he seems to be carving a niche in
winning the support of moderate, GOP Jewish voters.
Interestingly, Texas Gov. Rick Perry appears to being
gaining the support of the conservative Jewish voting
bloc.
Perry’s Jewish support leans more to the “Orthodox” side,
primarily due to his strong stance on committing to
protect Israel “at all cost.”
“He’s (Perry) not one of those who call themselves
friends of Israel but view that as an excuse to twist
Israel’s arm,” Jeff Ballabon, a media executive and public
relations expert who was a major player in helping then
president George W. Bush make inroads to the Orthodox
Jewish community, told The Jewish Daily Forward. “He
recognizes that Israel exists under constant pressure and
that true friendship is to give Israel support while it
navigates its way to peace. That’s a worldview with which
I am comfortable.”
Perry wasted little time after announcing this candidacy
in August in trying to tie up the support of Jewish
leaders. In September, he held a press conference where
New York’s top Jewish leaders surrounded him, many of whom
were Orthodox, as he attacked the Obama administration for
the “appeasement” of Palestinian’s desire in asking the
United Nations for statehood status.
Romney, on the other hand, has found his niche among the
more moderate Republican Jewish voters. Only six days
after Perry’s Sept. 20 press conference in New York,
Romney descended upon the Big Apple to attend a fundraiser
of Jewish contributors that was held in the New York
office of Phillip Rosen, a longtime GOP activist. The
event was co-hosted by over three dozen Jewish
contributors, each of whom raised or gave a minimum of
$10,000 to the Romney campaign.
Fred Zeidman, a Houston, Texas, business leader who has
supported a number of evangelical candidates, including
former President George W. Bush, has also worked for
Romney since 2007.
“Every major Jewish Republican fundraiser that I know has
been with Mitt since his first run for president,” Zeidman
told The Jewish Daily Forward.
Mel Sembler, who served as U.S. Ambassador to both
Australia and Italy in each of the Bush presidencies, and
is what is considered a “heavyweight” in fundraising
circles, has also signed on with Romney.
“I supported Mitt in ’07 and ’08 and took him to Israel
with me in ’07,” Sembler told The Christian Post. “I’ve
always been impressed with his business experience and
understanding of our economy. Rick [Perry] is a good
friend and I’ve supported him in his races for governor.
But Mitt has twenty-five years of business experience and
four years of political experience. I like that
combination much better.”
A survey conducted over the Jewish holiday season in
September of this year by the American Jewish Committee,
asked Jewish voters a number of questions on Israel, U.S.
policies and other issues deemed as important to Jewish
citizens.
When those surveyed were asked to choose between Romney
and Perry in a general election matchup against President
Obama, 32 percent said they would support Romney and only
25 percent said they would vote for Perry.
However, 45 percent of those surveyed identified
themselves as Democrat, and 41 percent of those said they
were “liberal.” Forty-three percent said they “approved”
of Obama’s handling of Iran’s nuclear threat against
Israel with 45 percent saying they “disapproved” of the
U.S. position.
“Obama is losing support in the Jewish community,” said
Sembler. “I think that’s evident on every fundraising trip
he’s making to New York.”
As controversial as the story surrounding Dr. Robert
Jeffress, the Dallas pastor who called Romney’s religion
of Mormonism a “cult,” has been, the issue has generated
very little discussion within the Jewish community.
“It’s disturbing to think we’re going to bring religion
into the presidential primary,” said Sembler. “Eventually
we’re going to have to get past the religion issue and pay
more attention to who is and who is not qualified to be
president.”
The former ambassador also feels the recent rise in
Herman Cain’s poll numbers won’t last too long.
“Cain is an outstanding businessman but his lack of
political experience concerns me and many others I speak
with. I just feel Romney has the right combination and can
defeat President Obama next year.”
