With Election Day approaching, Kamala Harris faces mounting pressure in Pennsylvania as backlash from Jewish voters in Pittsburgh grows over recent campaign appearances involving local officials who have criticized Israel’s role in the ongoing conflict with Hamas.

Harris, who plans to campaign in Pittsburgh on the eve of the election alongside musician Lady Gaga, may see her support waver among a key voting bloc in the crucial swing state if she does not address the controversy.

The concerns stem from statements made by Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato, who both appeared at Harris campaign events but have previously suggested Israel shares responsibility for the October 7 Hamas attacks.

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Alongside Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA), Gainey and Innamorato issued a statement asserting that “the violence did not start on October 7,” a comment that has sparked unease among Pittsburgh’s Jewish population.

Today, we mark one year since the October 7th attacks with hearts big enough to grieve those killed one year ago and those massacred in the year since.

My joint statement with @ACE_Innamorato and @MayorEdGainey: pic.twitter.com/EYvH6o7e7J

— Rep. Summer Lee (@RepSummerLee) October 7, 2024

According to The New York Post, Pennsylvania’s Jewish community, estimated at 400,000 residents, is a significant voting bloc that could influence the election’s outcome.

Pennsylvania, holding 19 electoral votes, remains a pivotal battleground state in the race for the White House.

Several Jewish Democrats in Pittsburgh have expressed frustration with the Democratic Party’s handling of these issues, with some now considering voting for former President Donald Trump instead of Harris.

One local Jewish voter, Aviva Lubowsky, 45, shared her concerns. “If the Democratic Party wants to retain its Jewish voter base, they have to eschew and denounce extremists in the party,” she said.

She added that the rhetoric coming from Democratic leaders poses risks to her family’s safety.

While Lubowsky plans to vote for Harris, she stated she will support Republican James Hayes in his bid to unseat Rep. Summer Lee.

Jennifer Murtazashvili, a Jewish political scientist at the University of Pittsburgh, noted a similar shift, observing that around 60 percent of her liberal Jewish friends are contemplating a vote for Trump. “The mainstream progressive left has a major problem on its hands. How can we discern what her policies are except by the people she surrounds herself with?” she said, pointing to the potential impact of Harris’s campaign alliances.

For some Jewish Democrats in Pittsburgh, the issue has left them uncertain about their vote for the first time.

One local voter shared, “There are undecided voters in the Jewish community where I never thought they’d be.” This individual, a lifelong Democrat, added that the “lack of moral clarity” on issues related to Israel has caused hesitation among local Jewish voters.

Jewish safety concerns in Pittsburgh are particularly heightened due to past incidents, such as the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue attack, where 11 worshippers were killed.

More recently, three Jewish students were attacked at the University of Pittsburgh, adding to the community’s sensitivity.

Audrey Glickman, a Tree of Life attack survivor and Harris supporter, defended the campaign’s efforts to reach Arab and Muslim voters, saying, “Kamala Harris is not a Squad member. She’s been to Pittsburgh more than once and talked to us more than once and has worked on antisemitism as an issue.”

Polling from September shows Harris’s support among Jewish voters has fallen to the lowest level for a Democratic candidate in over 30 years.

Historically, Jewish voters in the U.S. have leaned heavily Democratic, consistently backing Democratic presidential candidates since 1924.

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