Obama is losing ground among Jews, a Pew Forum survey has revealed.
Commentary noted that while Jews typically align themselves with the Democratic Party, Obama’s tenure as President has eroded Jewish support for his party, setting "Democrats up for their worst showing among Jews since 1988" this November.
Commentary points out that the decline in Jewish support, from 72 percent in 2008 to 66 percent this year, is the greatest decline among all religious groups. Nevertheless, Jewish support for Democrats has improved slightly since 2010, when Democrats lost control of the House of Representatives and saw their majority in the Senate reduced.
While Democrats have lost ground, Republicans have seen an uptick in support from the Jewish community. In 2008, only 20 percent of Jews aligned themselves with the Republicans, while this year 28 percent of the Jewish community aligns with Republicans. That gain is 2 points more than Democratic losses.
Commentary surmised that foreign policy has caused the drop in Jewish support for Democrats. "Given that it is impossible to argue that Jews are more likely to dislike his economic policies or his health care bill more than any other religious or ethnic groups, the only possible explanation for this decline is his policy toward Israel."
Obama’s relationship with Israel’s prime minister has been "rocky," reported the Washington Post; Israel's prime minister recently criticized the Obama administration’s refusal to mark "red lines" for Iran's nuclear program.
Commentary suggested the historical connection between the Jewish community and Democrats could be inflating the survey numbers: "Indeed, since there is still a stigma in some Jewish quarters about openly expressing support for conservatism or the Republican Party, it may be that the Jewish vote for Obama may turn out to be much lower than the figure for affiliation."