Washington: A group of more than 100 Democratic donors and activists on Monday sent a letter to President Joe Biden’s campaign warning that progressive anger over Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip is “increasing the chances of a Trump victory.”
The signed letter is the latest sign of Democratic disgruntlement about Biden’s alignment with Israel’s government as it executes the war that began when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7.
Since then, more than 30,000 Palestinians have died at the hands of Israel, according to Gaza health authorities. Anger over the fate of the Palestinians has roiled Democratic politics, with Biden tailed by protesters outside many of his public events calling for a cease-fire in the conflict and for an end to US military aid to Israel.
The letter’s signatories include a handful of donors who gave six-figure sums to Biden’s presidential campaigns in 2020 and 2024, though a preponderance of donors who signed the letter have given smaller amounts to candidates and causes more progressive than Biden, according to Federal Election Commission reports.
Among those listed are Paul Egerman, a finance co-chair for Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 presidential campaign; David and Elizabeth Steinglass, who between them gave $1.4 million to Democratic candidates and causes in 2020, including $100,000 to Biden’s campaign committees; Caroline Gabel, an environmentalist who has given $315,000 to Democrats and $51,000 to Biden’s campaign committees this election cycle; and George Krupp, who gave $1.2 million to Democrats in 2020 and has donated more than $600,000 to them during the 2024 election cycle.
Steinglass declined to comment. Egerman and Gabel did not respond to messages. Krupp, in an interview arranged by Biden’s campaign, said that while he was upset about Biden’s position on Israel, he still planned to co-host a fundraiser for the president in September in Boston.
“I would like to see the president take a harder stand as it relates to humanitarian aid,” Krupp said. “If he can prevent continued civilian casualties, that would also be a desire for me.”
Krupp said he was personally uncertain about the letter’s conclusion that the war in Gaza is hurting Biden politically. The letter laments Biden’s support for Israel’s war effort and its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Regrettably President Biden has provided what appears to be unconditional support for the Israeli operation,” it reads. “The Biden administration has been providing armaments, including 2,000-pound bombs which have been used to flatten entire civilian neighborhoods, causing massive casualties with a high ratio of women and children. President Biden has asked Netanyahu to minimize civilian casualties but has threatened no consequences as Netanyahu has continued to ignore him.”
The letter goes on to argue that the war is alienating progressive voters from Biden and fellow Democrats and warned that if it does not end it could lead to the president losing the November election to former President Donald Trump.
“As donors and activists, we have committed much time and treasure in helping increase the turnout of likely Biden voters, particularly among young voters and voters of color,” the letter states. “Many of these voters are now questioning whether the Democratic Party shares their values. If they stay home or vote for a third-party candidate, there is the very real danger that President Biden will be defeated in November. The reelection of Donald Trump would be a disaster for our country and a bigger disaster for Israel/Palestine, and we fear that the Gaza war is increasing the chances of that occurring. Because of the disillusionment of a critical portion of the Democratic coalition, the Gaza war is increasing the chances of a Trump victory.”
About 10 per cent of Democratic primary voters have cast ballots for “uncommitted” in states where that has been an option. The “uncommitted” movement has become a stand-in for Democrats disillusioned with Biden’s policy toward Israel after it began with a group of Arab American activists in Michigan who sought to apply public pressure to Biden to end U.S. support for Israel’s war effort.
On Tuesday, the Michigan activists who began the “uncommitted” effort in their state announced they would seek to organize a national effort to organize anti-war delegates to the Democratic National Convention in August.
The Biden campaign shrugged off the financial impact of the letter on Tuesday.
“The president shares the goal for an end to the violence and a just, lasting peace in the Middle East,” said Lauren Hitt, a campaign spokesperson. “He’s working tirelessly to that end.”
Among those who circulated the letter and recruited signatories to it was Liam Connell, a wealthy retiree in the Chicago suburbs. Connell said he did not wish to elaborate on the letter, which was sent to Julie Chavez Rodriguez, the Biden campaign manager.
“The letter speaks for itself, and I do not wish to be a spokesperson and editorialize,” Connell said. “I have asked others to do the same. The letter was meant to be a private communication and was not intended to be released to the press or put into the public domain.”
Biden’s campaign has to date raised substantially more money than has Trump’s. Independent groups have pledged more than $1 billion to help elect Biden and allied Democrats this fall — a sum that dwarfs the public commitments from Republicans backing Trump.
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