Rep. Jerry Nadler Accused by Dem Primary Opponent of ‘Wielding His Jewishness as a Divisive Tactic’ in the Race

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) is in a tough primary battle, and one of his Democrat primary opponents is not holding back.

Nadler, the longest-serving Jewish member of the House, “wears his Jewishness with pride,” as The New York Times writes.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), “a staunch ally of Israel and American Jews,” spoke to the Times and accused Nadler and his allies “of wielding his Jewishness as a ‘divisive tactic’ in the race.”

“It’s a strange way to run, it’s sort of like, ‘Vote for me, I’m the only woman, or I’m the only white person, I’m the only Black person,’” Maloney said. “Why don’t you put forward your statement, your issues, what you’ve done and the merit you bring to the race?”

Per the Times, “Mr. Nadler’s allies argue that on matters of substance, representation and gut-level identity, he brings qualities to his role that are different from those a non-Jewish person could offer.”

As the Times pointed out, “For a century, New York has been the center of Jewish political power in the United States. So much so that as recently as the 1990s, Jewish lawmakers made up roughly about half of New York City’s delegation to the House of Representatives.”

However, now Nadler is the only one left.