WASHINGTON FREE BEACON
by Adam Kredo
November 5, 2014

Controversial group’s anti-Israel perspective fails to resonate

Political candidates backed by the controversial Middle East advocacy group J Street were trounced at the polls on Tuesday, with J Street’s endorsees losing in almost every competitive race. J Street scrambled to save face on Wednesday after two candidates that the group described as must-wins were defeated by their Republican opponents. While J Street spread its money across 92 races around the country—the majority of them uncompetitive contests—J Street candidates locked in tight races were repudiated by voters. Analysts say this is further proof that voters are increasingly likely to embrace more hawkish pro-Israel candidates over the dovish views characteristic of J Street and its allies in the Obama administration.

Democrats Mark Udall (Colo.) and Bruce Braley (Iowa), both of whom lost yesterday, received repeated endorsements and cash from J Street, which claimed that both candidates would counter “dangerous, neoconservative ideas” in the Senate. “We can’t afford to lose these two [Senate] races,” J Street political director Dan Kalik wrote in a September email to supporters, urging them to donate at least $18 dollars to Udall and Braley.

“If Mark and Bruce don’t have the resources they need in these last few weeks, you can expect their opponents’ dangerous, neoconservative ideas to gain momentum in the Senate,” J Street wrote at the time. J Street’s efforts to make the races about its anti-Israel agenda appears to have flopped, as voters in both states favored the Republican challengers Joni Ernst and Cory Gardner……. Matt Brooks, executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC), said in a statement that voters rejected J Street’s extremist brand of anti-Israel advocacy. “This election cycle included races in which support for Israel was a significant issue,” Brook said. “Given the increased tensions between the Obama administration and Israel, these races took on even greater importance. J Street, a leading voice in support of President Obama’s pressure tactics on Israel, drew a line in the sand and made a concerted effort to elect like-minded candidates to Congress.”

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