Midterm election exit polls are showing that Republicans enjoyed an increase in support from Jewish voters as the wider Jewish community moved slightly to the right.
Thirty-three percent of Jewish voters voted for Republicans in Tuesday’s Republicans wave, according to exit polls by Fox News. Sixty-five percent voted for Democrats, a 30-year low for the Jewish community.
Republican Jewish Coalition executive director Matt Brooks released a statement claiming the results show the “unmistakable trend of increasing Jewish support for Republicans.” Brooks claims the trend has been apparent since 1992.
“From 1992 to 2012, the Jewish vote for GOP presidential candidates has risen steadily (with a small dip in 2008) from 11% to 32%,” he said.
The last time the Jewish vote reached in the thirties was in the 1992, but enjoyed a steady high during the Reagan years. During his presidency, Reagan got 31 percent in 1980 and 39 percent in 1984. Bush captured 35 percent in 1992, according to the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. Throughout the 90s and the beginning of the millennium, Republicans lost traction, failing to reach the thirties again.
Brooks concluded by stating, “We are encouraged by the Republicans’ strong showing again this year and by the continued inroads the GOP is making in the Jewish community.”