Romney to get little poll help from Israel visit

Photo by REUTERS/Jason Reed

Mitt Romney traveled to Israel Saturday to improve his chances with American voters interested in US-Israel relations. In particular, the presumptive Republican presidential candidate is trying to shore up his support among Jewish voters.

But he shouldn’t expect to much of a bump at the polls. At least not according to a new report that says American Jews will vote in November how they typically vote: primarily for the Democratic presidential candidate.

RNS reports:

The report, “Making Sense of the Jewish Vote,” predicts Jewish Americans will follow historical precedent and largely vote Democrat this fall. Moreover, Jewish voters will have a negligible effect on the presidential election’s outcome, even in swing states, said Jim Gerstein, a pollster with polling firm GBA Strategies who compiled the report.

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As with most Americans, the economy is Jewish voters’ greatest concern, not Israel, according to Gerstein, who cited a 2010 poll that found only 7 percent considered Israel a top priority.

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