World Jewish News
Poll: 70% of American Jews voted for Hillary Clinton
11.11.2016, Jews and Society According to an exit poll by The New York Times, 70% of American Jews voted for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in Tuesday’s presidential election and 25 % for President-elect Donald Trump.
Trump fared worse among Jews than Mitt Romney did in 2012 (30%). In 2008, John McCain got 22% of the Jewish vote.
The national survey, which was commissioned by J Street, the liberal Jewish Middle East policy group, showed a community that trends more Democratic than the general population.
“American Jews remain a bedrock Democratic constituency,’’said J Street President Jeremy Ben Ami.
Jim Gerstein, the pollster, said Jews voted for Clinton more than Hispanics did, more than any other religious group.
The economy led Jewish voters’ concerns in the poll, with 35 percent of respondents listing it as their first or second priority. Tied for second at 27 percent were health care and terrorism. Israel scored ninth, at 9 percent.
Those figures are typical when both candidates in an election are seen as basically supportive of Israel.
The numbers were similar in a Florida poll — 68 percent for Clinton and 28 percent for Trump — and voters there scored similar priorities. Trump narrowly won the state.
J Street conducted the Florida poll in part to see if last-minute pushes by presidential campaigns in the state in recent elections emphasizing hawkish pro-Israel credentials were justified by a community likely to rate Israel higher. But the results were virtually the same, with Israel rating ninth at 8 percent.
EJP
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