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The Battle for the Jewish Vote
(Boston Globe) Jonathan D. Sarna- The bare-knuckled campaign for Jewish votes seems surprising. After all, Jews comprise less than 2% of the national population. Why then are both parties focused upon them? First, Jews are known for participating actively in civic affairs, with as many as 80% turning out at the polls. Second, Jews are geographically concentrated. Some 85% live in just 20 metropolitan areas critical to any presidential candidate's election. More than two-thirds of Al Gore's electoral votes four years ago came from eight of the nine states with the highest overall percentages of Jewish voters: New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Connecticut, California, Pennsylvania, and Illinois. Without those states he would have lost the election by a landslide. Third, pundits believe that the Jewish vote is up for grabs.