Daily Kickoff
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2026
Good Tuesday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we spotlight the midterm races we’ll be watching as polls close tonight, look at the electoral math challenges facing Gadi Eisenkot as the head of the Israeli opposition bloc attempts to form a coalition, with the assistance of Arab parties, to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and report on a planned ‘Boycott Ride’ targeting Jewish- and Israeli-owned businesses in the Philadelphia area. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Dan Driscoll, Boy George and Andy Baker.
Today’s Daily Kickoff was curated by JI Executive Editor Melissa Weiss, with assists from Tamara Zieve and Danielle Cohen-Kanik.
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Today's Agenda
It’s Election Day. The first polls close today at 6 p.m. ET (in parts of Kentucky and Indiana), with the rest closing by 1 a.m. ET. The bulk of East Coast and Midwest states close their polling stations by 9 p.m. ET, and we expect some races to be called soon after.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on the outcomes of the Senate races in Michigan, Maine, Texas and South Carolina, as well as dozens of House races (though many of the California races aren’t likely to be called tonight) and the gubernatorial races in Pennsylvania and Florida. More below on what we’ll be watching for tonight.
Meanwhile, tensions in the Gulf continue after the U.S. conducted what it said were limited defensive strikes targeting Iran’s Qeshm Island, despite comments from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had granted Iran's government more authority to pursue talks with the U.S.
On Fox News last night, President Donald Trump reiterated comments he’d made to CBS News over the weekend, telling Sean Hannity that “we might have to go after” Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain, but that such a strike was “not a big deal” and could be done “in an hour.”
Vice President JD Vance, meanwhile, told reporters on Monday that the Trump administration feels “pretty good about the prospects” of reaching a negotiated settlement with Iran, following what he described as “a number of good conversations” with Tehran.
In Washington, the Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments today in the case of St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy, which focuses on whether Colorado can exclude Catholic preschools from its universal preschool program over the program's nondiscrimination requirements.
One Thing to Know
By Marc Rod and Josh Kraushaar
Jewish voters are increasingly finding themselves in political no man’s land in this midterm election, even as most are still likely to cast their ballots for Democratic candidates. But the party's increasingly critical approach to Israel and its nomination of far-left democratic socialists in a number of key races have soured many on its commitment to fighting rising antisemitism and protecting the security of the Jewish state.
At the same time, President Donald Trump's nativist politics and authoritarian impulses make the Republican Party a tough sell for disenchanted Jewish voters.
Jewish voters are paying increasingly close attention to the candidates themselves — and whether those candidates are part of the mainstream or the extremes of their respective parties. And they’re becoming a key swing voting bloc in a number of key races, which we spotlight below.
In some, such as the Michigan and Florida Senate races, we’ll likely see historic levels of Jewish support for a Republican candidate — mainly because Democrats nominated anti-Israel candidates well outside the political mainstream. In others, such as key swing House districts in Florida and Virginia, moderate pro-Israel Democrats are expected to play critical roles in helping their party win back the lower chamber.
Read on for the Senate and House races we’re focused on for the midterms — and will be providing reporting and analysis on throughout election night at Jewish Insider through our app (available through Apple and Google Play) and Live Briefing.
The Big Reads
Conscience Call
Haley Stevens explains her ‘decision of conscience’ to endorse Rogers
In a new statement posted Monday evening, Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) traced her decision to endorse Republican Mike Rogers and oppose Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s Senate race to antisemitism surrounding El-Sayed’s campaign and its supporters, as well as what she described as his decision to disregard her and her supporters, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Stevens described her choice as “a decision of conscience” that she made on her own, and not impulsively. She said that she felt she had done the right thing after the primary by endorsing El-Sayed in the interest of putting the party first and moving forward together, but instead found herself — and the voters who supported her — “shut out” and ignored.
More from Stevens: Stevens told The Free Press that she decided to abandon her support for El-Sayed and endorse Rogers due to several of El-Sayed's “anti-American” policies that she found concerning, including his “obsessive, obsessive, obsessive” fixation on Israel and refusal to condemn the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
TARGETED TACTIC
Bicycle rally aims to force Jewish businesses out of Philadelphia
A Sunday “Boycott Ride” planned by local anti-Israel groups in the heart of Philadelphia, aiming to force a series of Jewish and Israeli-owned businesses out of the city, has garnered condemnation from local Jewish groups, which described the event as blatantly antisemitic and part of an effort to drive Jews out of public life, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. The bicycle rally in Rittenhouse Square targets businesses including Dizengoff, Huda, Schlesinger’s, Mac Mart, K’Far Cafe and Goldie and falls on Nov. 8, the day before the anniversary of Kristallnacht, a fact noted by the local Jewish groups.
STICKING POINTS
Arab parties still don’t meet Eisenkot’s coalition conditions
While most of the incoming Knesset was aligned against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following last week’s election, Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot’s ability to turn that majority into a coalition that includes Arab parties remained in doubt as of Tuesday, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports. Eisenkot’s bloc has 48 seats, far short of a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. The Knesset’s two Arab factions, Ra’am and the Joint List, received a total of 19 seats, which together with Eisenkot’s bloc could form a 67-seat majority. Over the weekend, Eisenkot emphasized that he is maintaining his four conditions for partners in a coalition that is “Zionist and statesmanlike, and broad as possible.”
The Rundown
The rest of today’s original stories from Jewish Insider — full stories, all published on the site.
On Our Radar
● The Live Briefing. Word on the street, clips, podcasts and quick updates — the items we’re tracking all day in our Live Briefing on our app (on Apple and Android) and website.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke on Monday with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, discussing, according to a social media post by the Saudi official, regional de-escalation efforts amid continued Houthi attacks on the kingdom…
The U.S. Army confirmed that it is investigating as a potential cyberattack a spate of refrigerator systems failing at military facilities over the summer, after similar incidents took place this week at supermarkets across several European countries…
The New York Times looks at declining support for the Democratic Party among Jewish New Yorkers, including Bonnie Lautenberg, the widow of the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), who recently hosted a Hamptons fundraiser for GOP gubernatorial nominee Bruce Blakeman despite previously donating to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s campaign…
The NYPD is investigating an incident in which school buses belonging to the United Talmudical Academy in Brooklyn were vandalized with antisemitic graffiti…
Four attorneys with the Indiana chapter of the ACLU resigned over the hiring of a new executive director who is facing allegations of antisemitism for comments made about Jewish lawyers representing pro-Palestinian clients; Nikkita Oliver’s official start has been delayed from Sept. 1 while the chapter investigates the claims…
The Asian Football Confederation postponed the upcoming 2027 Asian Cup, which had been slated to take place in Saudi Arabia in January and February, citing ongoing conflicts and security concerns in the region; the tournament is now slated to begin at the end of December 2027…
The Washington Post spotlights China’s recent flurry of diplomatic activity as it attempts to calm tensions in the Middle East, including meetings with Oman, Iran and Saudi Arabia and plans to send senior officials to seven countries in the region for high-level talks in the coming weeks…
Former Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who previously faced accusations that she obstructed the investigation into the 1994 AMIA Jewish community center bombing due to her ties to Iran, is petitioning the U.N. Human Rights Committee to review her case, which resulted in a conviction on charges of corruption and a six-year prison sentence, which she is serving under house arrest…
Former Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who resigned from the Pentagon over clashes with Hegseth, is joining OpenAI as a senior counselor for national security modernization…
Andy Baker, a former deputy national security advisor to President Donald Trump and national security advisor to Vice President JD Vance, is joining a16z’s global affairs team as an advisor…
The Israeli Consulate in Mumbai, India, announced the death of Solomon Sopher, the chairman of the city’s Baghdadi Jewish community…
JI Live Briefing · Free preview
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The Live Briefing is JI’s real-time feed — breaking news, notable content from across the web, video clips, images and more, all day. The items above are just a taste.
Community Comms
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Michigan Muddle: The New York Times’ Bret Stephens looks at the stakes in Michigan’s Senate race. “On a recent visit to Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, Mich., I heard from someone who described the state’s U.S. Senate race this year as a choice either against antisemitism or for democracy. What he meant was that a vote for Mike Rogers, the Republican, was also a vote for President Trump and therefore a vote against democracy. But a vote for Abdul El-Sayed, the Democrat, was a vote not just for a stridently anti-Israel candidate but for the normalization of antisemitism that his candidacy has helped to produce.” [NYTimes]
The Progressive Whisperer: The Atlantic’s Rose Horowitch spotlights Democratic political strategist Morris Katz ahead of the midterms, amid a broader debate in the party over its direction. “Katz’s day job involves portraying privileged candidates as paragons of the working class. A similar logic might explain his own trajectory: The smooth-talking consultant who claims he knows how to win over skeptical voters gets credit for it — regardless of the underlying reality.” [TheAtlantic]
Cost Risk Analysis: In The Wall Street Journal, Walter Russell Mead considers the value of U.S. engagement in the Middle East. “Every president since George W. Bush has come into the White House hoping to limit America’s risks and costs in the Middle East. As finances tighten at home, and as the price of limiting Chinese ambitions rises, the goal of reducing America’s Middle East footprint grows more attractive. … Instead of fantasizing about an escape from the Middle East, Americans need to think harder about how to safeguard our essential interests at the lowest possible risk and cost.” [WSJ]
Picture of the Day
Singer Boy George met on Monday with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and former Israeli hostage Elkana Bohbot at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem. The British artist, whose hits with Culture Club include “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?” and “Karma Chameleon,” is slated to perform two shows this week in Tel Aviv. Erik Marmor/Getty Images
Birthdays
Yael Averbuch, general manager of Gotham FC, a women’s soccer team based in the New York metropolitan area, turns 40
IRA L. BLACK/GETTY IMAGES
Rabbi Ismar Schorsch, chancellor emeritus of the Jewish Theological Seminary, where he also served as a professor of Jewish history, turns 91
Judge Charles Breyer, senior judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, he is the younger brother of retired SCOTUS Justice Stephen Breyer, turns 85
Mazie Hirono, U.S. senator (D-HI), turns 79
Barbara Zheutlin, resident of Great Barrington, Mass.
James Rothman, winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize in medicine, professor at Yale University, turns 76
Rabbi Paul Caplan, rabbi emeritus at Temple Anshe Sholom in Olympia Fields, Ill., turns 74
Roseanne Barr, actor, comedian, writer and television producer, best known for the award-winning television sitcom “Roseanne,” turns 74
Dennis Miller, comedian, talk show host and political commentator, turns 73
Elliot Jager, manuscript editor and lecturer, author of books on the stigma of childlessness and on the Balfour Declaration, turns 72
Naomi Leshem, award-winning Israeli photographer whose works have appeared in galleries in many countries, turns 63
Jeanne Epstein, regional director of development for The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Scott Galloway, professor of marketing at the New York University Stern School of Business, turns 62
Michael Morhaime, co-founder and former CEO of Blizzard Entertainment, now CEO of Dreamhaven, turns 59
Edward Stelzer, entrepreneur-in-residence at Loeb Enterprises, he was previously co-chair of the board of the Yeshiva University Museum
Amy Rosenbaum, SVP for federal affairs at CVS Health, she was the White House director of legislative affairs in the last year of the Obama administration, turns 55
Amie Kershner, director of development for States United Democracy Center
Gabby Adler, partner at political consulting firm GDA Wins
Rachel Adler, agent at Creative Artists Agency focused on talent working in television news
Julie Berman, actor who won three Daytime Emmy Awards for her role on ABC’s “General Hospital,” turns 43
Robin Levy Gray, director of corporate impact communications at Southern Company Gas
Rowan Morris, senior managing director at Guggenheim Securities
Michael Haft, former captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, he is a co-founder of D.C.-based Compass Coffee, turns 40
Michelle Hinchey, New York State senator, turns 39
Julian Baird Gewirtz, senior research scholar at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, he previously served at the State Department and the National Security Council during the Biden administration, turns 37
Ben Kirshner turns 34
Caroline Michelman, senior marketing manager at American Express, turns 34
Noy Assraf, founder and CEO of Noyse, she previously worked at the Israeli consulate in NYC, turns 31
Diana Silvers, actor and model, turns 29
Stu Rosenberg
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