A candidate in a tight Democratic primary race in suburban Philadelphia asked J Street to pull its endorsement. He also returned $6,375 sent to him by J Street’s political action committee.
Doug Pike told the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent that he was not aware of the depth of his differences with J Street when he accepted the left-wing, pro-Israel group’s endorsement. He also suggested that he had faced tough questions for taking money from J Street’s political action committee.
“Belatedly, I got a clearer sense of the important points where J Street looks at things differently than I look at things,” Pike said. “Also, people simply assumed when they heard that I was endorsed by J Street that I agreed with them on everything. The endorsement was an impediment to my being able to explain my convictions about Israel’s security.”
Pike is running against Manan Trivedi, an Iraq War veteran, in a district that includes a substantial number of Jewish voters. — jta