Democrats continue to come out against House candidate Charles Barron of New York’s Eighth District for his long legacy of anti-Semitic, anti-Israel, and racist statements.
The latest to criticize the New York City councilman is New York congressman Steve Israel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
In a statement to THE WEEKLY STANDARD, Israel says he is supporting Barron’s opponent in the June 26 Democratic primary. “I support Hakeem Jeffries’ candidacy,” Israel says. “His opponent has an unfortunate history of comments that are anti-Semitic and anti-gay. Hakeem Jeffries, on the other hand, has a history of bringing people together to help his community.”
Israel joins fellow New York Democrats like former mayor Ed Koch and Congressman Jerry Nadler in criticizing Barron’s rhetoric.
Also today, the National Jewish Democratic Council denounced Barron. Here’s their statement, from NJDC’s website:
But not all Democrats are denouncing Barron. Retiring congressman Ed Towns has endorsed Barron to succeed him in the Brooklyn seat. The redrawn Eighth District, which mirrors Towns’s old Tenth District, contains a significant Jewish population. The Democratic National Committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment on this race.
