{"id":546998,"date":"2026-07-18T02:37:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T02:37:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/546998\/"},"modified":"2026-07-18T02:37:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T02:37:13","slug":"souring-on-jd-vance-many-jewish-republicans-rally-behind-marco-rubio-for-2028","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/546998\/","title":{"rendered":"Souring on JD Vance, many Jewish Republicans rally behind Marco Rubio for 2028"},"content":{"rendered":"

JTA \u2014 It\u2019s no secret that JD Vance has lost the confidence of many Jewish Republicans, who have taken issue with the vice president\u2019s reprimanding of Israeli officials, indulgence<\/a> of anti-Israel conspiracy theories and silence on Tucker Carlson, the prominent pundit who has turned against Israel.<\/p>\n

But Vance is still thought by many to be US President Donald Trump\u2019s likeliest successor at the top of the party\u2019s ticket in 2028, leaving the GOP\u2019s Jewish supporters with the question of whom to back when Trump\u2019s second term ends.<\/p>\n

Many are finding an answer elsewhere in the Trump administration.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe overwhelming majority of American Jewish MAGA voters, donors, and policymakers are enthusiastically supporting a Marco Rubio presidential run,\u201d said Shabbos Kestenbaum, whose high-profile activism against campus antisemitism has made him a hero among Jewish conservatives, speaking to JTA this week. \u201cI look forward to voting for him as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kestenbaum was offering an update on a claim he made in an interview at a Republican Jewish Coalition gala in May.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI can certainly tell you with confidence that in the American Jewish conservative circles, it\u2019s Marco Rubio by a margin of 99 to 1,\u201d he said at the time. \u201cIn fact, that\u2019s probably underselling it \u2014 it\u2019s probably closer to 100 to 0. I can\u2019t think of anyone within the American Jewish MAGA movement who would not want Marco Rubio as the nominee.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tShabbos Kestenbaum speaks during the Republican National Convention on July 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP\/J. Scott Applewhite)<\/p>\n

Rubio, who is Trump\u2019s secretary of state and national security adviser and served as a US senator from Florida for 14 years, has won the support of a number of Jewish Republicans with his staunch support of Israel and hawkish opposition to Iran. He has signaled a willingness to remove restrictions the Biden administration had placed on violent Israeli settler groups in the West Bank and this week vowed to dismantle the International Criminal Court, which has an arrest warrant for multiple Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.<\/p>\n

The RJC praised Rubio\u2019s ICC vow on Monday, tweeting<\/a>, \u201cLeadership. Thank you, @SecRubio.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some, including the far-right Jewish activist Laura Loomer, have also pointed to Rubio\u2019s hardline stance on pro-Palestinian protesters; he celebrated<\/a> revoking hundreds of student visas in connection with such protests last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are finally getting the pro-Hamas thugs OUT,\u201d Loomer wrote on X<\/a>, adding that Rubio \u201cis a LEADER\u201d who is \u201cnot afraid of taking on Islamic immigrants who don\u2019t belong here.\u201d In another post<\/a>, Loomer revealed her ambitions for Rubio: \u201cHe is going to be President someday. Mark my word.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\tAdam Hasner, photographed on April 27, 2026. (Business Wire via AP)<\/p>\n

Rubio\u2019s deep ties to the pro-Israel community predate his national profile; his main benefactor during his career in the Florida legislature was Norman Braman, a major donor to Jewish causes. Rubio\u2019s support for Israel is typical of Cuban-American politicians who see the country as a bulwark against communism. His closest ally<\/a> in the Florida legislature was Adam Hasner, who is Jewish.<\/p>\n

Some Israel critics who have spread conspiracy theories about Jews and the Jewish state are now accusing Rubio of working toward Israeli interests above American ones, and say Israel is pushing his candidacy.<\/p>\n

Besides his pro-Israel bona fides, Jewish conservative commentators have also praised Rubio for his fiery rhetoric<\/a> about his hope for the future of the United States, including in a speech at the Munich Security Conference, which Commentary editor Seth Mandel called<\/a> \u201cprofound.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eric Levine, an RJC board member and major GOP fundraiser, said there is \u201coverwhelming support\u201d for Rubio, among both Jewish and non-Jewish Republicans.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, my first choice in 2016 was Marco Rubio,\u201d said Levine, who spoke in a personal capacity and not for the RJC, adding that he was an early fundraiser for Rubio\u2019s 2016 presidential campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cMarco has always been an extraordinarily strong and effective advocate for the American-Israel relationship,\u201d Levine said. \u201cMore importantly, he\u2019s a very strong and effective communicator regarding America\u2019s place in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vance has seen his support eroding, both in and outside of Jewish circles. Some of Trump\u2019s top advisers<\/a> are reportedly pushing for Rubio, and not the vice president, to be the 2028 nominee. GOP megadonor Ken Griffin said last week that he would support Rubio over Vance in a 2028 presidential primary, Axios reported<\/a>. Even live betting markets say Rubio\u2019s chances are climbing.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tUS Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks as Vice President JD Vance listens during a meeting between US President Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in the Oval Office of the White House, August 25, 2025, in Washington. (AP\/Alex Brandon)<\/p>\n

Trump himself<\/a> has floated a Vance-Rubio ticket, without saying which of the two he thinks should be president. The president asked a room of donors at Mar-a-Lago in late February, as he joined Israel in launching a war against Iran, which candidate they preferred, and Rubio carried the room, NBC News reported <\/a>at the time. (Kestenbaum said he had heard about the vote from donors who were there. \u201cTo be fair, they\u2019re in Florida, so it\u2019s a bit of a self-selecting crowd \u2014 but Marco wins hands down,\u201d Kestenbaum said.)<\/p>\n

The RJC has so far refused to wade into the 2028 waters. CEO Matt Brooks told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency at the RJC\u2019s America 250 gala that the presidential primary is \u201clight years away from right now,\u201d and that the focus is on holding the Republican majority in the House and Senate come November.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tPeople listen as former president Donald Trump speaks remotely to an annual leadership meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition, November 19, 2022, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo\/John Locher)<\/p>\n

But the group, and Jewish Republicans writ large, have been embroiled in a battle over the party\u2019s stance on Israel, and how it should deal with figures like Carlson, Nick Fuentes and Candace Owens, all of whom have spread antisemitic conspiracy theories to their large online followings.<\/p>\n

Trump drew the RJC\u2019s effusive praise when he disavowed Carlson. Vance, on the other hand, has remained mum despite mounting calls by Jewish conservatives for him to condemn the former Fox News host.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to see Vice President Vance change tack on a lot of this; I hope that he will,\u201d commentator Ben Shapiro said <\/a>in a New Yorker interview earlier this year, when asked about who in the conservative world \u201cwould cast out the kind of characters that Tucker Carlson and company are encouraging.\u201d Shapiro said he would \u201clikely\u201d support Rubio in a primary over Vance.<\/p>\n

The State Department did not respond to a request for Rubio to comment on Carlson and whether he believes there is rising antisemitism on the right. Other possible 2028 presidential candidates \u2014 chief among them Texas Sen. Ted Cruz \u2014 have been outspoken in warning about the threat of right-wing antisemitism.<\/p>\n

Brooks, asked about Vance, told JTA that Trump\u2019s voice is \u201cthe voice that matters right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we start to head into after the midterms and whether people run or not, I\u2019m sure they\u2019re going to be asked about all these things,\u201d Brooks added.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tUS Vice President JD Vance walks to speak with the Press before boarding Air Force Two, April 10, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Marylad. (AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin, pool)<\/p>\n

Levine has weighed in on Vance<\/a>, telling Politico this week that it\u2019s \u201chard to find any support for him at all in the Jewish community.\u201d He declined to discuss Vance with JTA.<\/p>\n

In the months since calls first escalated for him to condemn Carlson, Vance\u2019s role in seeking to broker a deal with Iran has only further alienated pro-Israel Republicans. He drew backlash from Republican Jews \u2014 both from the rank-and-file and from a sitting member of Congress \u2014 when he warned Israeli critics of the Iran deal, which has since fallen apart, not to cross Trump, saying, \u201cIf I was in the Cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Florida Rep. Randy Fine, the Jewish right-wing firebrand, called Vance\u2019s comments<\/a> \u201cabsolutely inappropriate and frankly disgusting.\u201d He did not reply to a texted query about Rubio.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tFlorida State Sen. Randy Fine, right, speaks with college students at the Republican Jewish Coalition conference at the Venetian Resort, November 1, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo\/Thomas Beaumont)<\/p>\n

Valerie Greenfeld, an RJC member and former senatorial staffer who now lives in Jerusalem, said in an interview that \u201cit was incredibly arrogant of him to say such a thing, because we\u2019re partners.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added that Rubio is currently the most popular choice for president in 2028 among her circle of American voters in Israel. Meanwhile, she said, \u201cthe more JD Vance speaks about Israel and antisemitism and teams up with Tucker Carlson and his ilk, the worse it is for him in terms of the Jewish vote.\u201d<\/p>\n

American Jewish voters skew heavily toward voting for Democratic candidates; somewhere between 63% and 71% of Jewish voters supported Kamala Harris in 2024.<\/p>\n

But as a growing number of Jewish Democrats say they feel unwelcome<\/a> in their party amid tensions over Israel and the pro-Israel lobby, there is a sense that a Republican nominee could pick up votes from a Democrat who is more sharply critical of Israel than any of their predecessors.<\/p>\n

George Mason University law professor David Bernstein predicted on X<\/a> that there will be \u201ca significant shift in Jewish behavior\u201d if Rubio wins the nomination. \u201cThe vote change will be relatively modest, but the energy and money will shift dramatically.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added, \u201cIf it\u2019s Vance, nope.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pro-Israel criticism of Vance has grown in response to the terms of the Iran deal last month which delivered multiple concessions to the Islamic Republic. Shapiro told Fox News<\/a> that Vance, as a key negotiator, had \u201cnot well served the president.\u201d Trump this week resumed the war with Iran and said the deal was history.<\/p>\n

Rubio, meanwhile, came out of the deal with positive reviews from the pro-Israel crowd, who viewed his silence as disapproving of the concessions made in the deal. Rubio notably brokered a parallel framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon that undercuts a key objectionable element of the Vance-brokered deal, which codified Iran\u2019s role in Lebanon.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tUS President Donald Trump speaks as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, and Vice President JD Vance listen in the Oval Office at the White House, April 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP\/Mark Schiefelbein)<\/p>\n

\u201cRubio does not look happy,\u201d wrote Eylon Levy<\/a>, a former Israeli government spokesperson, alongside a video of the secretary of state appearing stoic while Trump announced the deal.<\/p>\n

Commentator Lisa Daftari wrote<\/a>, \u201cToday, we are all Marco Rubio.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Israel critics on both the left and right have been quick to call out<\/a> the burgeoning support for the secretary of state.<\/p>\n

Cenk Uygur, the host of The Young Turks, wrote<\/a> that \u201chalf the officials\u201d in Trump\u2019s administration \u201cwork for Israel,\u201d including Rubio.<\/p>\n

Michael Rectenwald, who heads the Anti-Zionist America Political Action Committee, blasted<\/a> Rubio\u2019s plan to dismantle the ICC and said the \u201cU.S. is \u2018israel\u2019s\u2019 bitch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clint Russell, host of the \u201cLiberty Lockdown\u201d podcast, accused<\/a> Israel of launching a propaganda campaign and paying influencers to \u201ctank Vance and boost Marco Rubio for 2028.\u201d Russell did not provide proof but was steadfast in his accusation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve been boosting him for months. Hard,\u201d he wrote. \u201cHe\u2019s their guy.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JTA \u2014 It\u2019s no secret that JD Vance has lost the confidence of many Jewish Republicans, who have…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":546999,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[62400,248514,200141,85,46,11487,206941,43,14143],"class_list":["post-546998","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-israel","tag-american-jews","tag-antisemitic-conspiracy-theories","tag-antisemitism-in-the-us","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-jd-vance","tag-jewish-republicans","tag-news","tag-us-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/546998","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=546998"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/546998\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/546999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=546998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=546998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=546998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}