J Street continues to back Rep. Keith Ellison (D., Minn.) to lead the Democratic National Committee, which a leading Republican Jewish group says is proof that the liberal Middle East advocacy group learned nothing from the November elections.
The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC), which brags that its candidates won 13 out of 20 elections against J Street-supported candidates, said it thought the defeat would cause J Street to alter its strategy.
"After running and losing on far-left policies, like support for the Iran nuclear deal, one would think groups like J Street would have realized the American people reject their anti-Israel ideas," said RJC spokesman Fred Brown. "Instead they are moving even further out of the mainstream with their support for Keith Ellison."
Ellison has been slammed since announcing his run for DNC chair because of his history of anti-Israel statements and policy positions.
The Anti-Defamation League, a liberal-leaning Jewish organization, rescinded its support for Ellison after a recording was released of the Minnesota congressman complaining to a private audience in 2010 that Israel controls U.S. foreign policy.
The group's CEO said that Ellison's "deeply disturbing and disqualifying" comments were based on "age-old stereotypes about Jewish control of our government."
J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami has emerged as one of Ellison's biggest defenders, writing in the Washington Post that Ellison's positions on Israel are "consistent with those of the large majority of Jewish Americans."
Ellison stood out as one of only eight congressmen who voted against military aid to Israel when it needed funding to repair its Iron Dome missile defense system in 2014.
Ellison has also implied Israel is an apartheid state, worked to insert the term "Israeli occupation" into the 2016 Democratic platform, and spent years fighting to get Israel to lift the Gaza naval blockade.
Ellison, who became the first Muslim elected to Congress in 2006, has also taken heat over his praise for the Nation of Islam and its anti-Semitic founder Louis Farrakhan.
"J Street is supporting a man who's been a disciple of Louis Farrakhan, opposes funding for Israel's defenses and has known associations with leading anti-Semitic groups," Brown said.
The 2016 election was the second in a row in which J Street was dealt major defeats in competitive races.
The RJC said Ellison's candidacy, which is being supported by party leaders such as Sen. Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.), is a sign of a dangerous trend for the Democrats.
"The fact that Ellison is even being considered as a serious candidate to lead the Democrat Party, with the support of J Street, tells you all you need to know about today's Democrat Party," Brown said. "It's clear why Republicans continue to gain support within the Jewish community."
J Street did not return a request for comment.