Jewish voters played a major role in shaping policy in 2025, but what direction will that take next year?
Upcoming elections and shifts in political leaders are putting the Jewish vote at the center of national political attention heading into 2026, particularly in New York where Zohran Mamdani now faces several decisions on antisemitism. One of the most closely watched developments is how Jewish voters will respond to Israel, and public policy towards the Jewish state. With the Trump-backed ceasefire now in effect, it is unclear what the Israel-Hamas conflict will be in 2026.
President Donald Trump’s approach to anti-Israel protests and campus unrest following the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas that resulted in the deadliest day for Jews in Israeli history is notable. Trump’s administration moved to crack down on pro-Palestinian demonstrations that crossed into antisemitism and rioting, particularly on college campuses. President Trump withheld or threatened to withhold funding from some of the nation’s most prestigious colleges should they fail to meet antisemitism protections.
In New York City, the Jewish vote was largely split between former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and now mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. Exit polls show a stark advantage for Gov. Cuomo, as well as a strong difference in the way Cuomo and Mamdani would handle Jewish-related policy. Polls show Jewish voters are heavily skeptical of Mamdani and his anti-Israel history, including criticism for his reaction to a violent protest outside one of the city’s more prominent synagogues. Mamdani refused to directly condemn language used by protesters that included calls to “take another settler out”, aimed at a 95-year-old Holocaust survivor who serves as a rabbi at the synagogue. Other calls to “make them scared” went mostly unmentioned by Mamdani’s team.
“The mayor-elect has discouraged the language used at last night’s protest and will continue to do so. He believes every New Yorker should be free to enter a house of worship without intimidation, and that these sacred spaces should not be used to promote activities in violation of international law,” Mamdani’s office said in a statement.
Several governors will seek reelection next year, including Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro, the third Jewish governor in the state’s history. Shapiro is pro-Israel and has criticized his party’s response to the October 7 attacks, as well as President Biden’s handling of violent protests after the fact. Gov. Shapiro was one of several Democrats who called out Mamdani previously, in July, for his repeated failure to condemn antisemitism in New York. the keystone state believe antisemitism could be crucial issue for the Pennsylvania gubernatorial race in 2026.
Among the largest developments in 2025 has been the relationship between Benjamin Netanyahu and President Trump. Netanyahu repeatedly praised Trump’s negotiations with Netanyahu faces his own battle in 2026, where voters in Israel will head to the polls as a referendum on the incumbent’s hardline, protectionist policies, and additionally, President Trump’s pro-Israel foreign policy. Netanyahu is expected to travel back to the United States in less than two weeks for the 6th time this year and will meet with the President at Mar-a-Lago.
