Article

San Diego Jewish World: JDCA endorses reelection of Dianne Feinstein to U.S. Senate, opposes Rep. Dana Rohrabacher

September 21, 2018

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The Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) has endorsed U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California) for reelection over the challenge of fellow Democrat Kevin DeLeon.

“JDCA stands with candidates who align with the Jewish community on a range of domestic and foreign policy issues,” said JDCA executive director Halie Soifer. “Senator Feinstein has broken glass ceilings her entire career. She currently serves as the leading Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee and is a champion for gun safety, protecting the environment, national security, criminal justice reform, and access to affordable health care. JCDA is proud to endorse Senator Feinstein and looks forward to mobilizing Jewish Democrats across California to ensure her victory in November.”

The JDCA joins President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Governor Jerry Brown, Senator Kamala Harris, Senator Barbara Boxer, US House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and 25 members of Congress, Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom, Secretary of State Alex Padilla, State Controller Betty Yee, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Human Rights Campaign, Equality California, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, National Women’s Political Caucus, NARAL Pro-Choice America, United Farmworkers of America, Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters, International Association of Firefighters, Teamsters Joint Council District 7, AFT College Staff Guild Local 1521A, and many state and local leaders across California who have endorsed Senator Feinstein’s reelection.

In another California election campaign, it was reported that Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (CA-48) has endorsed Gracey Larrea-Van Der Mark for a local school board seat in Huntington Beach, Californi,a despite her ties with the alt-right and history of making racist and anti-Semitic comments. This comes on top of reports last week that Rep. Rohrabacher welcomed Charles Johnson, a Holocaust denier, into a meeting on Capitol Hill, and that Johnson had since given the maximum donation to Rep. Rohrabacher’s re-election campaign.

In response to these developments, Halie Soifer, Executive Director of the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA), released the following statement: “This is not the first time that Rep. Rohrabacher has aligned himself with those who deny the Holocaust, perpetuate racism and anti-Semitism, or align with the alt-right. These associations, combined with Rep. Rohrabacher’s deeply troubling ties with the Russian government, compel us to call on the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) to repudiate Rep. Rohrabacher’s candidacy for Congress.

“Furthermore, we call on the RJC to endorse Rep. Rohrabacher’s opponent, Harley Rouda, who we believe will represent Jewish and Democratic values in Congress. As JDCA has previously stated, the only way to ensure that the numerous neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and Holocaust deniers – as well as those who sympathize with them – are not elected to Congress is to endorse and support their opponents. During these troubling times, all of us in the Jewish community must put partisan labels aside and confront those who perpetuate hatred and divisiveness in our country.” — From the Jewish Democratic Council of America

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