WASHINGTON – Florida and New York will hold their primaries on Tuesday, ahead of the November midterm elections.
One member of Congress whose name will not be on the ballot is Ted Deutch. The Florida Congressman, who has been serving since 2010, decided not to run for reelection and is expected to start a new position as the next CEO of the American Jewish Committee.
There are six candidates in the Democratic primary and seven candidates in the Republican primary for the South Florida congressional seat.
One of the leading Democratic candidates to replace Deutch is Jared Moskowitz, who received endorsements from dozens of senior Democrats, including former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, according to his website.
Who might be Ted Deutch's replacement?
Moskowitz is also endorsed by AIPAC. Two weeks ago, during Operation Breaking Dawn, he tweeted: “I stand with Israel’s right to defend itself. And, let’s not forget, there are members of the US House that voted against this ‘defensive’ weapon that protects Israeli and Palestinian civilians.”
Earlier this week, after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel of perpetrating “50 Holocausts” against the Palestinians, Moskowitz tweeted: “Either lies from Abbas or he can’t do math. Downplays the atrocity of the Holocaust. Weakens his argument and hurts his people.”
The Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) endorsed two candidates in Tuesday’s primary: Val Demings, who is the leading Democratic candidate in Tuesday’s primary for Florida’s Senate seat and is expected to face Sen. Marco Rubio in the general election this fall; and Eric Lynn, a former Pentagon official who served as senior adviser to the secretary of defense and worked on promoting Iron Dome funding, among other issues. Lynn is a candidate in the 13 district primary.
Unlike JDCA, the J Street PAC is not involved in any of Tuesday’s races, a representative of the group said.
The Republican Jewish Coalition, on the other hand, said it generally does not get involved in GOP primaries except in extremely rare circumstances. There are currently three RJC PAC endorsees so far in Florida: Rubio, who is running for reelection; Rep. Carlos Gimenez (FL-28) and Rep. Maria Salazar (FL-27). RJC expects all three to be the general election candidates after Tuesday’s primary.
In New York, the center of attention is the 12th district. After the state’s map was redrawn, two Democratic incumbents will face each other: Rep. Jerrold Nadler and Rep. Carolyn Maloney. Thus, one of the two veteran incumbents is set to lose their seat on Tuesday night.
Last week, J Street announced a total of $200,000 in independent expenditures in support of Nadler and for Rep. Jamaal Bowman ahead of their congressional primaries.
“Jerry and Jamaal are progressive champions with a long list of accomplishments,” said Kevin Rachlin, the group’s vice president of public affairs. “Their strong support for Israel’s security sits alongside the leadership they’ve shown on protecting Palestinian freedoms, upholding international law and supporting a just and peaceful end to the conflict.”