Hudson Institute's Troy: Obama's Jewish Support Fades

Republican businessman Bob Turner scored an upset win in Tuesday’s special election for the heavily Democratic 9th District’s congressional seat in New York. Turner trumpeted up President Barack Obama’s lukewarm relationship with Israel to help drum up support, and former New York City Mayor Ed Koch assisted that effort.

The outcome shows Obama has plenty to worry about in terms of his standing among Jewish voters in next year’s election, Hudson Institute senior fellow Tevi Troy writes on Politico.

“GOP candidate Bob Turner's win in a 3-1 Democratic district is a loud and clear signal of Democratic disaffection,” he says. “Jewish voters were among President Obama's biggest backers in 2008, and Turner's win in the heavily Jewish district shows Obama could have trouble in that community next year. In addition, the election is a vindication for Ed Koch, who urged Jews to vote for Turner to protest Obama's noticeably cool relations with Israel.”