January 17, 2008
While public opinion polls show former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani with a substantial lead among Republican voters in New Jersey (see related story), Jewish members of the GOP are lining up behind other candidates as well.
Alan Ashkinaze, a Republican from Oradell and a corporate lawyer dealing with environmental issues, is supporting Mitt Romney.
“I’m a conservative, and I really like Romney’s managerial experience,” he said. “I believe he is very much in the Ronald Reagan tradition of less taxes and less government intervention. I believe Romney will choose that path.”
Reflecting on Jewish considerations in picking his favorite candidate, Ashkinaze said Romney won his sympathies after he watched a video of the former Massachusetts governor and practicing Mormon being heckled in Iowa.
“I saw a man in the audience shout at him, ‘You are no Christian,’ and I felt horrible that someone would be attacked that way because of his religion. He could have been Joe Lieberman and been attacked that way [as a Jew]. Instead of treating the heckler in a dismissive way, Romney directly talked about his faith, and for me, that was a very moving moment,” said Ashkinaze.
Jared Silverman, a West Orange Republican and one-time candidate for Congress, said he is leaning toward supporting Giuliani but isn’t sure yet. “But I’m looking at what is happening right now and I’m trying to figure out his strategy. Giuliani hasn’t been a competitor for awhile, and I’m questioning his advisers.”
Silverman said he will choose the man he believes most capable of defeating a Democrat, and he is watching with interest all of the front-runners “trying to reposition themselves on the issues.”
Silverman suggested that “the candidates are all competing for the same space in center-right.” He noted that Giuliani has faced scrutiny from the Republican Right for supporting abortion rights and gun control, Romney has reversed the pro-choice position he voiced as governor, and Arizona Sen. John McCain is coping with opponents for his conciliatory stand on immigration.
“If you take Romney, McCain, and Giuliani, you are looking at three separate legs of a three-legged stool,” said Silverman. “Everyone has one characteristic that the other two don’t have, and with all three, you would have an ideal candidate.”
In terms of foreign policy, Silverman said, “everyone says basically the same things on Israel.”
In terms of what he called “the general Jewish mindset,” Silverman said, “the two people I think are strongest are McCain and Giuliani. Giuliani is a proven performer on Jewish issues. I don’t think Romney would resonate so much. [Former Arkansas Gov. Mike] Huckabee I discount off the top. I’ve got a real problem if Huckabee is the nominee.”
Beyond evangelicals
Paul Boudreau of Basking Ridge is chair of volunteers in Huckabee’s NJ campaign. Although Boudreau is not Jewish, he believes non-Christians should have no fears about the ordained Southern Baptist minister’s direct appeal to evangelical voters.
John McCain speaks at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s GOP forum, Oct. 16, 2007 in Washington. Photo courtesy RJC
“We just started putting our team together, and I really didn’t ask anybody if they were Jewish,” he said. “But Mike absolutely is appealing beyond the demographic of the evangelical Christian community. He did very well in New Hampshire, and six month ago, no one would have predicted he would come in third. He’s ahead in South Carolina and very close in Michigan. He is getting broad support among all religious groups as he goes forward. We are very confident. He is a guy who appeals to the average voter.”
Like Huckabee, McCain is pitching his campaign across party lines to independent voters. One loyal supporter is Ben Chouake, the president of NORPAC, the nonpartisan pro-Israel political action committee, who stood behind the candidate even when he was sagging in the polls.
Chouake joined the Arizona senator’s campaign in New Hampshire and watched “as he came from being a dark horse to the number one contender” against “some experienced governors.”
Evaluating others in the race, Chouake described Romney as “a very smart guy. Mike Huckabee is pretty smart.”
Chouake said he was untroubled by Huckabee’s “wearing ‘Christian candidate’ as his trademark. And Giuliani is really smart, too. Of all of them, if you look to consistency, if you look to experience, if you look to political courage, if you look to personal courage, you come up with one standing far above the others — and that’s McCain. His level of experience is incomparable.”
As he considers fellow Jewish voters, Chouake believes Giuliani has an edge in New Jersey because “people know him and he has a very well-thought-out policy on U.S.-Israel relations, and he is extremely tough on terrorism.”
Despite the range of Republican choices, some current and former members of the GOP are still looking for salvation from beyond the party.
Dave Golush was a Republican who voted for George Bush twice, “but I’m very turned off by Bush and it’s pretty hard to say I’m a Republican,” he told NJ Jewish News. This time he is looking for an independent candidate.
“I’m hoping Mike Bloomberg runs,” Golush said. “I think he has done a great job running New York City, and I think we need nonpartisan leadership. The Democrats and Republicans have been killing each other for the last 12 years, and the country has been the loser. I think there is a broad base of support for Bloomberg. He’s a long shot, but I hope he runs.”
If the New York mayor does not enter the race, Golush said, he would support McCain as a second choice because “I’m not too excited about Hillary or Obama.”