PRO-ISRAEL DEMOCRATS CAN PRIMARY DSA INCUMBENTS, TOO

For years, the Democratic Socialists of America and allied organizations have used Democratic primaries to target elected officials who support Israel.

This Tuesday, voters in Michigan have an opportunity to reverse that strategy.

Representative Rashida Tlaib is facing two challengers in the Democratic primary for Michigan’s 12th Congressional District. One of them, former Michigan state representative Shanelle Jackson, has spoken directly about rising antisemitism, defended the relationship between the United States and Israel, opposed the BDS movement, and emphasized the importance of rebuilding the historic alliance between Black and Jewish Americans.

I am endorsing Shanelle Jackson.

Elections often present a clear choice before every question has been answered. This one does.

Rashida Tlaib has become one of the most prominent anti-Israel voices in Congress. She supports the BDS movement, rejects the traditional two-state framework in favor of a single state, and has repeatedly used rhetoric that many Jewish Americans understand as denying Israel’s right to continue existing as a Jewish state.

In November 2023, the House of Representatives censured Tlaib by a vote of 234 to 188. The resolution accused her of promoting false narratives concerning the October 7 Hamas attack and using language that lawmakers interpreted as calling for Israel’s destruction. Tlaib rejected that interpretation and said her criticism was directed at the Israeli government rather than the Jewish people.

Nevertheless, the censure reflected how far her rhetoric had moved beyond ordinary criticism of Israeli policy.

There is a profound difference between criticizing an Israeli government and supporting a movement whose demands would ultimately eliminate Israel as the national home of the Jewish people.

There is also a difference between advocating for Palestinian rights and repeatedly presenting Israel as uniquely illegitimate while minimizing the rejectionism, terrorism, and antisemitism that have shaped this conflict for generations.

Tlaib has crossed that line too often.

Jackson offers Democrats another path.

She served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2007 through 2012 and held a leadership position as associate speaker pro tempore. She has described herself as a coalition builder and has centered her current campaign on affordability, housing, effective representation, and delivering tangible results for families in Michigan’s 12th District.

She has also been willing to say something too many Democratic politicians avoid saying plainly: antisemitism is real, it is growing, and it must be confronted even when it appears within our own political coalition.

Jackson has criticized Tlaib’s rhetoric, expressed strong support for the relationship between the United States and Israel, and presented opposition to antisemitism as compatible with her identity as a Black Democrat committed to social justice.

That matters.

The historic Black-Jewish alliance was never based on the idea that the two communities would agree about everything. It was based on shared democratic values, mutual recognition, opposition to bigotry, and the understanding that minorities are safer when they stand together.

That alliance has been badly strained by political movements that treat Zionism as racism and Jewish national self-determination as uniquely illegitimate.

Jackson appears interested in repairing it.

This primary also illustrates a larger point. Pro-Israel Democrats have spent too much time playing defense.

We watch as the DSA recruits candidates, raises money, organizes volunteers, and attempts to defeat Democrats who refuse to abandon Israel. We complain about its influence. We warn about the consequences. But too often, we fail to build an equally determined political response.

Primaries do not belong exclusively to the anti-Israel left.

Democrats who promote inflammatory rhetoric, support efforts to isolate Israel, or make Jewish voters feel politically homeless should expect principled Democratic opposition.

That is not an effort to silence criticism. It is democracy.

Tlaib is not the only candidate in this race. Inkster Mayor Byron Nolen is also challenging her and has argued that she has lost focus on the everyday needs of the district. But Jackson has established the clearest contrast on antisemitism, Israel, and the need to rebuild political coalitions.

All three candidates will appear on the Democratic primary ballot Tuesday, August 4. Michigan’s 12th District has a strong Democratic advantage, so the winner of Tuesday’s primary will be heavily favored in November.

Shanelle Jackson faces an enormous challenge. Tlaib is a nationally known and well-funded incumbent, while Jackson is fighting for attention in the final days of a race that has received far too little national coverage.

But difficult does not mean hopeless, and late does not mean too late.

Jewish Democrats and our allies regularly ask what we can do as anti-Israel activism grows within the Democratic Party. Here is an immediate answer: support a Democrat who is willing to confront antisemitism, defend Israel’s right to exist, and rebuild the historic alliance between Black and Jewish Americans.

I am asking everyone who agrees with this endorsement to take at least one of the following actions immediately:

Contribute now. Do not save the link and promise yourself that you will return later. The sooner a contribution arrives, the more useful it is during the campaign’s final push. Do it now.

Donate to Shanelle Jackson for Congress:
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/shanelle-for-the-12th-1

Volunteer to make telephone calls, wherever you live. You do not have to reside in Michigan to help contact voters. Join the campaign and ask how you can assist with phone banking during the remaining days.

Canvass if you live in or near the district. The campaign needs people willing to knock on doors, distribute literature, speak with voters, and identify supporters who still need encouragement to vote.

Help with Election Day operations. People living nearby can volunteer at the polls where legally permitted, transport campaign materials, assist campaign workers, or perform whatever tasks the campaign identifies as most urgent.

Call or personally text everyone you know in Michigan’s 12th District. Do not rely only on a Facebook share or hope that an algorithm places this article in front of them. A direct call or personal message is far more likely to be noticed. Tell them that Rashida Tlaib, one of Congress’s most relentless anti-Israel voices, has a pro-Israel Democratic challenger. Explain why this primary matters, and ask them to vote for Shanelle Jackson.

Share Jackson’s name and campaign information. Send it to friends, political organizations, synagogues, pro-Israel groups, and other Democrats. Even people who cannot contribute or volunteer may know someone who lives in the district or can help during the campaign’s final hours.

Campaign information and volunteer registration:
ShanelleJackson.com

Campaign Instagram:
@ShanelleJackson313

For years, organizations such as the DSA have understood something pro-Israel Democrats must finally learn: political influence is not created by outrage alone. It is created by recruiting candidates, contributing money, knocking on doors, contacting voters, staffing phone banks, volunteering at the polls, and turning people out in Democratic primaries.

We cannot complain that anti-Israel organizations are better organized and then remain spectators when a pro-Israel Democrat steps forward to challenge one of their most prominent congressional allies.

This election is Tuesday.

Contribute now. Join the phone bank now. Volunteer now. Call someone in the district now. Share the campaign now. Share this article.

There may be only days left, but there is still time to make those days count.

I endorse Shanelle Jackson for Congress in Michigan’s 12th Congressional District.