2008 electoral map. Photo: Wiki Commons.

The GOP made modest gains in its attempt to siphon off some of the Jewish vote from the Democratic party. Exit polls showed that President Obama received 70% to Mitt Romney’s 30%. This was down from the 78% Obama received in 2008, though considering the small sample size some have placed the number closer to 74%. Obama’s Republican challenger that year, John McCain,  was only able to garner 21% of the Jewish vote.

National Jewish Democratic Council president and CEO David Harris released a  statement early Wednesday that dismissed any talk of an ideological shift amongst Jewish voters.

“The only so-called ‘Jewish problem’ he has is that there aren’t more Jewish voters in America, given the overwhelming support for the president in our community,” Harris said according to Politico.

The Republican party pushed hard in this election to woo the Jewish vote spending millions to capitalize on the apparent tension between the Obama administration and the Israeli government.

“The powerful support given to the president today by American Jews shows that the more than $15 million campaign undertaken by Republicans to woo Jewish voters with negative advertising, scare tactics, and outright lies simply did not work,” Harris said.

Republican Jewish Coalition Executive Director Matt Brooks issued a statement Wednesday as well, saying, “The trend in the Jewish community is unmistakeable. In five of the last six national elections, Republicans have increased their support among Jewish voters and they continue to make inroads in the Jewish community.”