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Bush Bid for Jews' Votes Zeroes In on Gen X: GOP Nurtures Cadre of Activists (E.J. KESSLER, JuLY 11, 2003, The FORWARD)

The White House is nurturing a cadre of Generation X Republican Jewish activists, many of them Orthodox, as part of a concerted strategy to boost Republican strength among Jewish voters - and Jewish political donors - in the run-up to the 2004 election.

In private conversations recently, Bush aides have voiced hopes that the president's image as a leader in the war against terrorism will help bring the Republicans a record share of the Jewish vote next year, with some citing figures as high as 40%.

Many observers insist that the president faces an uphill task building a solid base among Jews. New polling data indicates that most Jewish voters around the country continue to identify themselves as Democrats and are more ready to criticize the president than other ethnic or religious groups. (See sidebar) Analysts say the GOP's dilemma is compounded by the president's new drive for Israeli-Palestinian peace, which risks alienating the conservatives who form the president's most solid support in the Jewish community.

The emergence of an enthusiastic new support base consisting of movers and shakers in their 30s and 40s appears to fly in the face of those analyses, however. While its numbers are not yet large, it has taken on an oversized role in Republican strategy and fundraising in New York and a few other locations, and activists are already talking about mobilizing Jews as a swing vote that can deliver some key Democratic states to the GOP column in 2004.

Heck, we're stunned that only 50% self-identify as Democrats... Posted by Orrin Judd at July 10, 2003 6:59 PM