Closed-door Vance talk at GOP Jewish gathering a chance to ‘define, introduce’ himself to Jews before possible 2028 run, Matt Brooks says

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) spoke for many of the GOP officials at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual conference in Las Vegas about how they plan to appeal to Jewish voters in November.

“You could summarize this midterm election in two sentences: They’re crazy. We’re not,” Jordan said.

House and Senate Republicans and members of the Trump administration returned to that theme repeatedly on Sunday and Monday, accusing Democrats of holding radical positions on Israel and embracing socialism.

“They are building their numbers,” said Rep. Craig Goldman (R-Texas), of socialists in the Democratic Party. “They want more in Congress. They want to take over.”

He pointed to the resolution from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) in July to block military aid to Israel, which split the Democratic caucus.

“There was one Republican vote: Thomas Massie,” Goldman said. “There were over 100 Democrat votes, including the former speaker, Nancy Pelosi. This is the Democrat Party of today. It’s not the same Democrat Party.”

The Republican Jewish Coalition has long advocated that the Republican Party is the natural political home for American Jews, a demographic that has voted overwhelmingly for Democrats in past elections.

Matt Brooks, CEO of the coalition, told JNS that an increasing number of Jewish voters “realize that their traditional home in the Democratic Party is untenable.”

“There has been an exodus and a trickle of folks over the last several election cycles who have seen the warning signs about what we’re now seeing in the Democratic Party,” Brooks said. “Now the floodgates are open.”

Republicans may be able to count on additional Jewish votes this cycle, particularly in elections like the Michigan Senate race. A group of Democratic and Independent Jewish voters signed an open letter saying that they cannot support the Democratic nominee, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, over fears that “the far-left and anti-Jewish elements in the Democratic Party would become dominant, including in the imminent 2028 presidential race.”

The Jewish vote could prove decisive in a toss-up race like Michigan and in some key House races, but Republicans are likely to face an uphill battle among the wider electorate to hold on to either the House or Senate given U.S. President Donald Trump’s approval rating, which has been between 30% and 40%, and the unpopularity of the war against Iran.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who addressed the conference remotely from Washington, expressed hope that the war is now “winding down” and could be concluded before November.

“This was an important objective. We got it done,” Johnson said. “If we wrap it up in the next 64 days, that’d be great as we go into the midterm election.”

Much of the conference focused on the battlegrounds of the 2026 midterms. Its headline speaker, Vice President JD Vance, is likely to draw questions about where Republicans are headed for the 2028 presidential election.

Vance was one of the leaders of the negotiations with Iran over the ceasefire memorandum in June and has arguably been more critical of the Israeli government than any other senior member of the Trump administration.

“You’re a country of 9 million people. You can’t just kill your way out of solving every single national security problem that you have,” Vance told the New York Times amid criticism from some Israelis about the ceasefire deal.

Vance’s remarks on Monday evening will be closed to members of the media, drawing criticism from Democratic Majority for Israel, a pro-Israel group.

“JD Vance may be speaking behind closed doors, but he should not be able to avoid questions about his attacks on Israel, his failure to confront antisemitism within the MAGA movement and his continued alliance with Tucker Carlson,” stated Brian Romick, president and CEO of the group.

“Those attending tonight’s summit and voters across the country deserve answers,” he said.

DMFI said that it was taking out micro-targeted ads aimed at RJC attendees at the Venetian Resort.

Brooks, CEO of the Republican Jewish Coalition, said that Vance’s fireside chat appearance at the conference will be the vice president’s first chance to speak to Jewish voters.

“This is an opportunity for him to define himself and to introduce himself to the Jewish community,” Brooks told JNS. “It’s going to go a long way to I think showcasing and highlighting who he is to the broader Jewish community.”

“I think people are respectful and open-minded, and look forward to an engaging conversation,” Brooks said.