Earlier this month, US politicians Rahm Emanuel and Rep. Ro Khanna made highly publicized trips to Israel.

Both are potential candidates for the party’s 2028 presidential nomination and the visits were seen as early forays in a possible race.

Emanuel, from the more pro-Israel wing of the party, warned that the Israel-US relationship was “at a crossroads.” At the same time, the far-left Khanna said the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was a “moral test” for the party.

The same week, nearly half of Congressional Democrats voted to cut aid to Israel in a vote seen as a watershed moment. Rhetoric about Israel, AIPAC and Gaza have also been central to Congressional and Senate races in New York, Maine, Colorado and Michigan.

Israel seems to be everywhere in US politics, but when Americans are asked open-ended questions about their voting priorities, Israel does not make the list.

So why do US politics seem so focused on Israel, when the median American voter doesn’t view Israel as a priority?

For more on this topic:

Domestic issues, Ukraine more important to voters

Polls have repeatedly shown that Americans, especially young people and Democrats, are becoming more hostile to Israel. Some research has also found that, when asked, respondents say the war in Gaza affected their vote.

Pollsters find those results when they specifically ask about Israel, though. When US voters are asked open-ended questions about their electoral priorities, or given a wide range of options, Israel does not make the list.

Those surveys have repeatedly found that domestic issues far outweigh Israel and other foreign policy concerns for voters. Polls on foreign policy generally found that the war in Ukraine was more important to voters than the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, although Ukraine is far less prevalent in domestic politics.

In April 2024, during the war in Gaza, a Pew poll on Americans’ top foreign policy priorities found that “finding a solution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians” was in 14th place out of 22 options.

Also in 2024, a Gallup poll asked registered voters an open-ended question about the most important factor determining their vote. The top issues were the economy, immigration, abortion, the preservation of democracy and disliking a particular candidate. No foreign policy positions made the list.

A Marquette Law School poll this year found that 16 percent cited the war in Iran as their most important issue, but the survey took place during the conflict, and the war involved the US directly. Months earlier, before the war, the same pollsters found that the war in Ukraine was the top priority for 1% of respondents, the only foreign issue on the list.

An AP-NORC poll from late last year asked respondents, “Which problems would you like the government to be........

© The Times of Israel