Ryan Jenkins, the president of North Carolina Democratic Party’s progressive wing, attacked the state party’s Jewish Caucus on Friday.
“If the Democratic Party caves to it, that’s the end of the Democratic Party. We’re not Democrats, we’re the Jewish Caucus. We’re a Zionist group. Because they control everything,” Jenkins said, the New York Post reported. (RELATED: Rashida Tlaib Ignores Reporter’s Question On Whether She Is ‘Antisemitic’)
NC progressive Democrat says Jewish Caucus would ‘end’ the party: ‘They control everything’ https://t.co/4QtMECtrQz pic.twitter.com/UNAksXsh5m
— New York Post (@nypost) November 22, 2023
Jenkins was referring to a vote held Sunday on whether the state Democratic Party would recognize the Jewish Caucus as an affiliated organization. The party in the end voted not to recognize the Jewish Caucus, with 17 votes against, 16 in favor, and 17 abstentions, WFAE reported. Jenkins was reportedly among those who voted to abstain, the outlet noted.
Jenkins claimed that the Jewish Caucus had engaged in pressure tactics to persuade those who were planning to abstain to vote in favor of the proposition, per the Post. He also described members of the Jewish Caucus as “rich white people,” the outlet reported. Jenkins also questioned the value of incorporating this caucus, given that the party already had an Interfaith Caucus and no religion-specific caucus was previously recognized by the party, according to WFAE.
The Anti-Defamation League notes that “anti-Jewish tropes are often rooted in conspiratorial thinking related to disproportionate Jewish control or power.” The whiteness (or lack thereof) of Jews is also a contentious topic. In 2022, host Whoopi Goldberg was suspended from “The View” for claiming that the Holocaust was “not about race” because it involved “two groups of white people.”
The North Carolina Democratic Party distanced itself from the progressive leader’s comments. “Ryan Jenkins doesn’t speak for the party nor does his statement reflect an accurate depiction of what occurred,” a party statement posted to Twitter read.
— NC Democratic Party (@NCDemParty) November 22, 2023
“We are deeply disappointed to see these attacks from someone whom we believe should be an all,” Jeffrey Bierer, the leader of the Jewish Caucus, said of Jenkins’ attacks, per the Post. “The Jewish Caucus was started to combat antisemitism, help fight fascism, and support a two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine.”
North Carolina is considered a key swing state in the 2024 election, with former President Donald Trump leading President Joe Biden in most recent polling.