A Critical Lesson Israel Must Learn from the 2026 US Primaries

Tonight, in a series of primary battles across the United States, a significant event occurred regarding how Israel is perceived by the local voter. On one hand, this evening marked a troubling milestone when a progressive candidate was elected, the Muslim Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a physician by profession who grew up in the Detroit healthcare system and spreads hatred and incitement against Israel on every possible platform. This time, he ran for a Senate seat in Michigan—a swing state where Donald Trump won in two of the last three elections—against the candidate Stevens, who was supported by AIPAC.

Although polls gave Abdul a huge advantage, in some cases over 11 points, the gap closed right when the polls closed with a relatively small margin compared to the sentiment he had, which should likely cause great concern in the Democratic Party regarding Michigan's Senate seat. This phenomenon clearly illustrates the takeover by the Muslim-progressive wave that has swept America, starting with Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar in 2018 becoming members of Congress, to what later became known as 'The Squad,' through the election of Zohran Mamdani in 2025 as mayor of New York, and about a month ago, the election of three candidates on his behalf to the House of Representatives from New York City, who caused Kamala Harris to come up and 'kiss the ring.'

Tactical Victories and Strategic Insights

However, one must lift their head and look at the full picture. Tonight, we saw a series of primary battles where AIPAC struck a crushing blow. The powerful message we received from the ground in Detroit and St. Louis is important for every Israeli to know, with special emphasis on policymakers in the present and in the new government that will be formed soon.

From Michigan's 11th district comes amazing news where the Jew Jeremy Moss, whom we all remember from his picture marching proudly with an Israeli flag in Tel Aviv at a demonstration, wins big against the progressive Muslim candidate Aisha Farooqi. Alongside this, one cannot help but be moved by the impressive comeback of Elaine Luria from Virginia's second district, who was a nuclear submarine commander and will be remembered forever for her legendary 'I accuse' speech against Ilhan Omar after she questioned her loyalty to the United States.

The Historic Alliance with the African American Community

These achievements bring us to the geo-strategic level that opens up a once-in-a-generation opportunity: the historic alliance of American Jewry and Israel with the African American community. One must remember that Martin Luther King was a huge supporter of Israel, and that in his time, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel marched arm-in-arm in Selma, Alabama, with a Torah scroll together with the leaders of the Black community—a strong bond that existed in the 60s and 70s and has gradually eroded over the last few years.

Tonight's elections send a particularly loud voice from distinctly African American districts, and first and foremost in the city of Detroit, where 75 percent are African American. The huge Black audience of this city sent an uncompromising message to the Democratic Party, saying in a clear voice: 'We are not willing for progressives to represent us.' In Detroit itself, Abdul lost and suffered a resounding defeat against Stevens, contrary to polls that gave him an advantage, which indicates significant cracks within the Democratic Party.

Also in St. Louis, where there is a huge African American community of about 45 percent, the candidate Wesley Bell wins. The frontal confrontation and the victory around the issue of the attitude towards Israel proved themselves again after he garnered almost 60% of the votes against Cori Bush.

Cultural Dimension: Ashley Jackson Converts

Alongside the political arena, a particularly interesting and surprising cultural dimension has recently been discovered: Ashley, daughter of the civil rights movement icon Jesse Jackson, who is well remembered in history for his tense and charged relationship with the Jewish community, completed a conversion process to Judaism and chose the Hebrew name Miriam Yiska, and even had the privilege of her father accompanying her in the synagogue. This event reflects the deep currents and the renewed cultural connection between the communities.

It seems that the message sent tonight to all decision-makers in the State Department and the Prime Minister's Office must be sharp and clear: what messages of the progressives cause such huge rejection among the African American audience? And how can we create a joint struggle that will restore the former glory and recreate that love that was here in the 60s and 70s? A rethink is now required on who are the audiences with whom we have a broad common ground, and how we create around it a coalition that will know how to cooperate with us in a brave and relevant way.

Dr. Kobi Barda, HIT Multidisciplinary School and Senior Researcher at the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI).