Significant Support

Interesting analysis of the Jewish vote in the country as a whole, and particularly in the 10th congressional, where incumbent Republican Mark Kirk was reelected despite the blue wave, and in a blue state to boot.

Richard Baehr, The American Thinker. Baehr disputes the small sample exit poll touted by Dems, showing an 87%-12% advantage trending back Democrat among the group, and questions the premise that the Republican Jewish Committee ads were ineffective by " looking at the actual vote totals in particular areas of high Jewish voter concentration":

The precinct by precinct votes in Lake County, one of two counties partially in the district, reveals that Dan Seals, the Democrat, won the Jewish areas in Highland Park, but not with anywhere close to 87% of the votes. His victory margin was by an average of 2 to 1 or 3 to 2 in most of the Jewish majority precincts. It should be noted that in this district, the RJC ad campaign had been very visible. The Finkelstein survey indicated that Jews who had been exposed to the ads voted Republican by as much as 10% more than the average for all the Jews they surveyed. That would be consistent with the results in Illinois 10 for Jewish voters in Highland Park.

Jews remain very loyal to the Democratic Party. No one is disputing that. But the numbers this year, as in 2004, are more on the order of 3 to 1 support for Democrats over Republicans, not the 7 or 8 to 1 ratio suggested by the exit poll survey. In a very difficult year for Republican candidates, Jewish voters may have even slightly increased their support for Republican candidates as compared to 2004.

And that is significant.