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<\/a><\/p>\nChris Rabb, L, won a Philadelphia congressional primary on May 19, 2026, while Thomas Massie lost his primary in Kentucky. (Rabb: Matthew Hatcher; Massie: Jon Cherry via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Chris Rabb\u2019s win in the Democratic primary for a congressional seat representing sections of Philadelphia reinforced the view that staunch anti-Israelism is arguably the most potent force in Democratic politics today. The Pennsylvania state representative executed the progressive playbook perfected by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, showing how tough talk on Israel and AIPAC can galvanize the party\u2019s left-wing base.<\/p>\n
In Mamdani\u2019s case, however, he was running against several candidates with strong pro-Israel records and deep pro-Israel support \u2013 for a position that has long served as a key public cheerleader for Israel in the United States. Rabb, on the other hand, proved that the strategy can be the winning ticket in a race ostensibly having nothing to do with Israel or AIPAC.<\/p>\n
Unlike the New York mayor\u2019s race, Tuesday\u2019s primary in Philadelphia consisted of candidates with similar views on affordability issues, while Rabb\u2019s opponents weren\u2019t exactly waiving the pro-Israel flag or raking in major pro-Israel dollars. But, to borrow from 1964 GOP presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, for an increasing swath of Democratic voters (and D.C. lawmakers), when it comes to standing up for the Palestinians and rejecting U.S. support for Israel, extremism is no vice and moderation is no virtue.<\/p>\n
On the Republican side, U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie\u2019s flameout in the GOP race for Kentucky\u2019s 4th District suggests that while there may be a gathering storm of discontent over Israel, the main force that matters when it comes to the ballot box remains Donald J. Trump.<\/p>\n
Massie tried his best to make his race a referendum on Israel and the influence of pro-Israel money, rather than Trump\u2019s decision to go all in for challenger Ed Gallrein. It didn\u2019t work.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m walking to an airplane to rejoin the most expensive congressional race in U.S. history. It\u2019s turned into a referendum on whether Israel gets to buy seats in Congress,\u201d Massie said a few days before an election that saw record spending by groups both supportive and critical of the Jewish state. After Massie\u2019s defeat, he quipped: \u201cI would have come out sooner but I had to call my opponent to concede and it took a while to find Ed Gallrein in Tel Aviv.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite such rhetoric, the biggest reason Massie will be leaving Congress in January is that Trump wanted him gone \u2013 in part over his criticism of the Iran war, but more generally over a range of issues that the Kentucky lawmaker has broken with Trump on. A string of other Republican primary results suggest that the first rule of GOP politics is: If Trump wants you out, you\u2019re cooked \u2013 even without a dollar of pro-Israel money going to your opponent.<\/p>\n
In his concession speech, Massie lamented that most GOP voters seem to want somebody who will \u201cgo along to get along.\u201d But, he added, one group \u2013 young voters \u2013 stayed with him.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately for Massie, the GOP for the time being belongs to Trump and his loyal followers, not the growing number of young conservatives who want an end to U.S. support for Israel. On the bright side for Massie and his fans, they already hold the power in at least one key area. As one popular pro-Trump conservative social media poster put it: \u201cDon\u2019t think of it as losing a Congressman. Think of it as gaining a podcaster.\u201d<\/p>\n
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.<\/p>\n