Latest news with #Litwack
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
AOC would trounce Chuck Schumer in primary as party leader ‘bleeding support' from Dems, Jewish voters: poll
'Squad' member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez would trounce Sen. Chuck Schumer in a primary – as the Democratic leader is 'bleeding support' from his party and Jewish voters, a stunning new poll found. Socialist Ocasio-Cortez leads five-term incumbent Schumer by a 54%-33% among likely Democratic voters in the Big Apple, according to the poll conducted by Honan Strategy Group for the Jewish Voters Action Network. AOC, 35, who now services as a member of the House of Representatives, leads Schumer among Jewish Democrats 45%-33% with 17% undecided, the poll found. 'This is a massive wake-up call for Schumer,' said Maury Litwack, co-founder of Jewish Voters Action Network. 'He's not only bleeding support in the Democratic Party overall but also in the Jewish community.' The numbers are troublesome for Schumer, who is Jewish and has relied on Jewish voters as a key area of support in his 50-year political career. The 74-year-old Senate minority leader isn't up for reelection until 2028. Litwack said the poll results are likely more of a reflection of dissatisfaction with Schumer than support for AOC, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America — a group that supports the controversial boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel. Ocasio-Cortez herself has called Israel's retaliatory bombing of the Gaza strip 'genocide' after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. But Litwack was critical of Schumer's actions in the wake of those attacks and subsequent antisemitic protests in the United States. 'The leading Jewish elected official in the nation did not step up in a moment of rising antisemitism — and the poll reflects that,' Litwack said. He said Schumer failed to pass the Antisemitism Awareness Act last year while Democrats controlled the Senate and White House and he served as Senate majority leader. The legislation would empower the US Education Department to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) definition of antisemitism when investigating potential violations of civil rights law. Litwack also noted that Schumer was accused of advising Columbia University to ignore accusations of antisemitism, which was referenced in a bombshell House investigative report on campus protests. Schumer vehemently denied the claim. Meanwhile, Schumer attacked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the Senate floor months into the war in Gaza, saying new elections should be held. The senator wrote a book about antisemitism but his actions did not match his words in combatting it, Litwack also came under a firestorm of criticism from liberal party activists — already smarting over Donald Trump's second election to the White House — by voting in March to pass a six-month government funding bill. Some called on him to step down as the Senate Democratic leader, preferring someone else to be more confrontational with Trump. The New York senior senator defended the vote, claiming a partial shutdown would have wrought 'devastation like we've never seen.'The phone text poll of 1,136 Democrats, conducted from May 15-18, has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.89 percentage points. A spokesperson for Schumer didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
New York Post
25-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
AOC would trounce Sen. Chuck Schumer in primary as party leader 'bleeding support' from Dems, Jewish voters: poll
'Squad' member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez would trounce Sen. Chuck Schumer in a primary – as the Democratic leader is 'bleeding support' from his party and Jewish voters, a stunning new poll found. Socialist Ocasio-Cortez leads five-term incumbent Schumer by a 54%-33% among likely Democratic voters in the Big Apple, according to the poll conducted by Hongan Strategy Group for the Jewish Voters Action Network. AOC, 35, who now services as a member of the House of Representatives, leads Schumer among Jewish Democrats 45%-33% with 17% undecided, the poll found. 6 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez leads five-term incumbent Chuck Schumer by a 54%-33% among likely Democratic voters in New York. Getty Images 6 According to the poll conducted by Hongan Strategy Group for the Jewish Voters Action Network, AOC leads Schumer among Jewish Democrats 45%-33% with 17% undecided. JVAN 'This is a massive wake-up call for Schumer,' said Maury Litwack, co-founder of Jewish Voters Action Network. 'He's not only bleeding support in the Democratic Party overall but also in the Jewish community.' The numbers are troublesome for Schumer, who is Jewish and has relied on Jewish voters as a key area of support in his 50-year political career. The 74-year-old Senate minority leader isn't up for reelection until 2028. Litwack said the poll results are likely more of a reflection of dissatisfaction with Schumer than support for AOC, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America — a group that supports the controversial boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel. Ocasio-Cortez herself has called Israel's retaliatory bombing of the Gaza strip 'genocide' after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. But Litwack was critical of Schumer's actions in the wake of those attacks and subsequent antisemitic protests in the United States. 6 Litwack said the poll results are likely more due to dissatisfaction with Schumer than support for AOC. @mlitwack/X 'The leading Jewish elected official in the nation did not step up in a moment of rising antisemitism — and the poll reflects that,' Litwack said. He said Schumer failed to pass the Antisemitism Awareness Act last year while Democrats controlled the Senate and White House and he served as Senate majority leader. The legislation would empower the US Education Department to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) definition of antisemitism when investigating potential violations of civil rights law. Litwack also noted that Schumer was accused of advising Columbia University to ignore accusations of antisemitism, which was referenced in a bombshell House investigative report on campus protests. Schumer vehemently denied the claim. 6 'This is a massive wake-up call for Schumer,' Maury Litwack, co-founder of Jewish Voters Action Network, said about the Jewish senator who has relied on Jewish voters as a key area of support in his political career. Leonardo Munoz 6 'The leading Jewish elected official in the nation did not step up in a moment of rising antisemitism — and the poll reflects that,' Litwack said about Schumer's actions following Hamas' invasion of Israel in October 2023. Michael Nigro Meanwhile, Schumer attacked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the Senate floor months into the war in Gaza, saying new elections should be held. The senator wrote a book about antisemitism but his actions did not match his words in combatting it, Litwack said. Schumer also came under a firestorm of criticism from liberal party activists — already smarting over Donald Trump's second election to the White House — by voting in March to pass a six-month government funding bill. Some called on him to step down as the Senate Democratic leader, preferring someone else to be more confrontational with Trump. 6 According to Litwack, Schumer was accused of advising Columbia University to ignore accusations of antisemitism. Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Post The New York senior senator defended the vote, claiming a partial shutdown would have wrought 'devastation like we've never seen.' The phone text poll of 1,136 Democrats, conducted from May 15-18, has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.89 percentage points. A spokesperson for Schumer didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
New York Post
11-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Megabucks ad campaign launched urging NYC, NJ Jews to cast primary ballots
Don't kvetch — vote! A group seeking to mobilize Jewish voters in the city's upcoming June 24 primary elections including for mayor is launching a $500,000 TV and social-media ad campaign to try to drive up turnout amid rising antisemitism. 3 A group seeking to mobilize Jewish voters is launching a $500,000 TV and social-media ad campaign to try to drive up turnout. Jewish Voters Unite Advertisement The narrator of a 30-second video spot titled 'Hate Crimes' that is part of the push says, 'This June, the safety and security of the Jewish community is on the ballot.' The ad, obtained exclusively by The Post, starts running Monday and is paid for by Jewish Voters Unite. It rattles off stats showing the increase in local Jewish hate crimes, including vandalism at the Jewish-owned Effy's Cafe on the Upper West Side, and displays video of a Jewish man being attacked in Brooklyn. Advertisement The ad will appear on commercial and cable news networks including Fox News Channel, CNN, NY1 and News 12. It will also be streamed on YouTube, Hulu, Roku, Spotify and Pandora and appear on Facebook, Instagram and X. The ad campaign is part of Jewish Voters Unite's larger 'Voting is How We Fight Back' get-out-the Jewish vote effort. The group, run by Jewish activist Maury Litwack, has 700 volunteers and more than a dozen paid staffers. 'This is a pivotal moment for the Jewish community. This Jewish community feels antisemitism,' Litwack said. Advertisement 'This primary election provides an opportunity to do something about it. Jewish voters are not sitting on the sidelines. We're expecting there will be a historic turnout and believe Jewish voters will be the story of this primary election.' 3 The ad campaign is part of Jewish Voters Unite's larger 'Voting is How We Fight Back' get-out-the Jewish vote effort. Jewish Voters Unite Jewish Voters Unite will soon open its fourth site in heavily Jewish central Queens, joining its existing offices in Brooklyn and on Manhattan's East and West sides. Canvassers are handing out 'Don't kvetch, vote' merchandise including hats, cups and wristbands. Advertisement While the group is nonpartisan and not backing any particular candidate, Litwack, a staunch critic of the Democratic Socialists of America, spearheaded a similar campaign last year that drove up Jewish turnout in Westchester County, helping moderate George Latimer defeat Israel-bashing ex-Rep. Jamaal Bowman in the Democratic primary. The DSA sponsored an anti-Israel rally in Times Square a day after Hamas attacked Israel and slaughtered 1,200 people on Oct. 7, 2023. 3 The ad will appear on commercial and cable news networks including Fox News Channel, CNN, NY1 and News 12. Jewish Voters Unite So a larger Jewish turnout at the polls could be kryptonite for Big Apple mayoral DSA candidate Zohran Mamdani, who supports the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel and has joined in at anti-Israel rallies. But a big Jewish turnout could aid ex-Gov., Andrew Cuomo, the Democratic mayoral front-runner in recent polls, as well as former city Comptroller Scott Stringer and current Comptroller Brad Lander, both of whom are Jewish. The ad campaign will also reach voters in northern New Jersey, which has a considerable number of Jewish residents who are urged to vote in their state's upcoming competitive Democratic and Republican primary races for governor. 'We want to turn out every Jewish voter,' Litwack said. Advertisement A related but independent Litwack-led group — the Jewish Voters Action Network — helped register nearly 7,000 Jewish New York City residents as Democrats ahead of the June mayoral primary, The Post reported last month. More than 4,130 of the Jewish voters who signed on with the Democratic Party — and thus are allowed to vote in the primary — were previously registered as independent or belonged to the Republican or another party.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Thousands of Jewish voters register as Dems to vote in NYC mayoral primary: ‘Sleeping giant'
Nearly 7,000 Jewish city voters recently registered as Democrats ahead of the June mayoral primary — a potentially ominous sign for Zohran Mamdani and other lefty candidates viewed as soft on antisemitism. More than 4,130 of the Jewish voters who just signed on with the Democratic Party — and thus are allowed to vote in the primary — were previously registered as independent or belonged to the Republican or another party, according to the Jewish Voters Action Network, which pushed the effort. Another 2,564 new Jewish voters also have enrolled as Democrats. That's a total of 6,695 fresh registered Dem voters since January — and the numbers should only grow, the group said. 'We think this registration drive is a big deal. Jewish voters are a sleeping giant in New York politics,' JVAN founder Maury Litwack told The Post on Sunday. 'And they are awake. 'Jews are showing up to play. We're not ignoring this election. We are punching above our weight.' The voting push comes from the same playbook that Jewish organizers used to help unseat 'Squad' member Jamaal Bowman in a House primary last year. Concerns about antisemitism are driving up interest in the 2025 elections among Jews across the spectrum — orthodox, conservative and reformed, Litwak said. Antisemitism spiked after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza, triggering anti-Israel protests, particularly on college campuses, in New York and throughout the US. 'Antisemitism is on the rise. Jews are saying they want their voices heard at the ballot box,' Litwack said. He said the effort to re-register voters as Democrats is because the winner of the Democratic primary will be heavily favored to win the general election, even against embattled Mayor Eric Adams, a Dem who is skipping the primary race and running as an independent. Democrats vying for the party nod in June include front-runner and ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, surging Democratic Socialists of America candidate Mamdani, city Comptroller Brad Lander, his predecessor Scott Stringer, state Sens. Jessica Ramos and Zellnor Myrie, former state Bronx Assemblyman Michael Blake and financier Whitney Tilson. There are a total of around 3.77 million registered Democrats in the city, nearly 25% of whom voted in the last mayoral election in 2021, according to the Gotham Gazette. Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa will again be Republican nominee as he was in 2021, and former federal prosecutor Jim Walden also is running as an independent. The JVAN, which has dedicated $7 million to the Jewish voter mobilization effort, is non-partisan and is not endorsing any candidate. But Litwack is a staunch critic of the left-wing Israel-bashing DSA, which counts anti-Israel critic Mamdani as a member. Litwack helped mobilize Jewish voters in Westchester County last year for the Democratic primary for Congress, where challenger George Latimer toppled incumbent and Israel critic Bowman. Jews voted overwhelmingly for Latimer, the more moderate, pro-Israel candidate. 'Jews stepped up to vote in the Bowman-Latimer race. It was a wake-up call,' Litwack said. 'Jewish voters have been moderate for some time. They are concerned about the extreme left and the extreme right.' In the City Council districts that JVAN focused on in its registration push, Jewish voters make up much larger percentages of the overall recent re-registrants, according to the group's analysis. In Manhattan's District 4 on the East Side, 330 Jewish voters accounted for 49% or nearly half of re-registrants. In District 5 on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, 353 Jewish voters made up 48% of re-registrants. In District 6 on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, 323 Jewish voters made up 46% of re-registrants. In Brooklyn's District 48 (Coney Island-Sea Gate, Brighton Beach, Midwood, Gravesend Homecrest, Madison, Sheepshead Bay-Manhattan Beach-Gerritsen Beach), 178 Jewish voters accounted for 53% of re-registrants. In Brooklyn District 39 (Kensington, Borough Park, Windsor Terrace, Park Slope, Gowanus, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, and the Columbia Waterfront), 158 Jewish voters made up 25% of all re-registrants.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
More KC Water customers come forward about increase issues on bills
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Last week, FOX4 told you about a in September and October of last year. Since then, FOX4 has heard from multiple other KC Water customers who claim to have the same bill increase issues and no leaks. 'Our last bill we paid was $440 in November, and then in December, it jumped to $22,000,' said Aaron Armentrout, who owns a 6-unit apartment building. 'There are no bathtubs, there's only showers and I don't think anybody even has a washer and dryer at this moment.' Armentrout said the bill in December showed almost a million gallons of water used. He also claims that professionals found no leaks. KCFD says all Cloverleaf Apartment tenants relocated, complex closed 'With a million gallons of water, this (building) would probably be collapsing at this point. So we've had plumbers come out, we've had the city come out. Everybody has looked for leaks. They've checked the water meter, and the water meter doesn't read. They said that's the problem. So they're estimating the charges,' Armentrout explained. Armentrout said it's been challenging to get answers from the water department. The KC Water website says that periodically, they are unable to obtain electronic or manual reads. When that happens, . A KC Water Department spokesperson said KC Water is unable to comment on any specific customer accounts due to state law. They also told FOX4, 'KC Water is not experiencing widespread issues with the department's advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system. If a customer has a concern about their meter, they should call 816-513-1313. KC Water employs a Meter Field Services (MFS) division—staffed by servicers and utility officers—who conduct in-person inspections to assess the meter and address concerns.' Mark Litwack claims that over the last few months, his water bills more than doubled from his usual price of $60 a month. Litwack said Leak Stoppers did not find any leaks. He said he's been trying to get answers from the water department since he first noticed the increase in January. While we were working on this story Monday, a KC Water servicer stopped by Litwack's hosue to fix his meter. 'Today, they fixed the meter before they were trying to convince me that, 'No, you have a leak you're not aware of.' But today, the person I spoke with paid attention, and I got action. But I'm hearing I'm not the only one. So there's a bigger issue,' Litwack said. Download the FOX4 News app on iPhone and Android There are a couple of ways to report concerns with KC Water. Call (816) 513-1313 and click option one or 311/submit a request through the MyCivic app. Residents can go to for an FAQ page as well as an online form under 'other billing questions.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
