George W. Bush, John Boehner, Mitt Romney to Headline Jewish Republican Conference
by JNS.org
JNS.org – Former president George W. Bush, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), and former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney are scheduled to headline a Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) gathering in late April.
The RJC conference will be held from April 24-26 in Las Vegas. Several expected Republican presidential candidates are also likely to speak at the conference, including former Texas governor Rick Perry, US Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and Indiana Governor Mike Pence, while US Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) will also address the conference, reported the Washington Examiner, which obtained an RJC email to supporters.
Currently, freshman US Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) is the lone Jewish Republican in Congress, following last year’s defeat of former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. Nevertheless, a recent poll conducted by Gallup found a steady increase of American Jews identifying as Republican and a decrease in support for Democrats.
According 4,116 Jewish adults polled in the survey—which was conducted from Jan. 2 to Dec. 30, 2014—29 percent of American Jews identified as Republican, up from 22 percent in 2008, while 61 percent of Jews aligned with Democrats, down from 71 percent seven years ago.
The RJC has also been leading an online petition to support Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress next month, in response to complaints about the speech by Congressional Democrats and the Obama administration.