Nearly 7,000 Jewish voters in New York City have newly registered as Democrats since January — a surge that could have a huge influence on the outcome of June’s high-stakes mayoral primary and pose a challenge for far-left candidates seen as soft on antisemitism.

According to the Jewish Voters Action Network (JVAN), 6,695 Jewish voters have joined the Democratic rolls in recent months, including more than 4,130 who switched from Republican, independent, or other party affiliations. An additional 2,564 are first-time registrants.

“We think this registration drive is a big deal. Jewish voters are a sleeping giant in New York politics,” JVAN founder Maury Litwack told the NY Post. “And they are awake. Jews are showing up to play. We’re not ignoring this election. We are punching above our weight.”

The Democratic primary field includes former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) candidate Zohran Mamdani, City Comptroller Brad Lander, former Comptroller Scott Stringer, state Sens. Jessica Ramos and Zellnor Myrie, ex-Assemblyman Michael Blake, and financier Whitney Tilson. With Mayor Eric Adams running as an independent, the primary winner will be the clear frontrunner in the general election.

JVAN, which has committed $7 million to mobilizing Jewish voters, remains officially non-partisan and is not endorsing any candidate. However, Litwack has been an outspoken critic of the DSA and its members, including Mamdani, whose positions on Israel prompt most Jews to be less than excited about his mayoral candidacy.

“The Jewish community is paying attention — and taking action,” said Litwack, who also led a successful voter mobilization campaign last year in Westchester County that helped unseat Squad member Jamaal Bowman in favor of pro-Israel Democrat George Latimer.

“Jewish voters have been moderate for some time,” Litwack added. “They are concerned about the extreme left and the extreme right. The Bowman-Latimer race was a wake-up call.”

While New York City has approximately 3.77 million registered Democrats, fewer than 25% turned out in the last mayoral primary. JVAN believes energized Jewish voters could play an outsized role in this year’s primary, especially in key City Council districts where the group focused its registration efforts.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)