The race for a Hillary Clinton’s old Senate seat is at the forefront of observations from the bulk of political observers. Sen. Kristen Gillibrand was appointed to the seat and faces a tough opponent from former Tennessee Rep. Harold Ford. Further, the winner of that battle then could face rough opposition from a Republican.
But, virtual unknown and social entrepreneur Jonathan Tasini is also vying for the seat and he has a deep connection to Israel and unexpected views on the peace process (quick point- Tasini has virtually no shot. Recent polls put him at well under 10 percent support).
Tasini lived in Israel for years and has family that currently lives near the West Bank. Tasini even has family that died in Yom Kippur War.
Even with that background, Tasini’s views fall pretty far from the general views of AIPAC– he has called the blockade on the Gaza Strip “intolerable and unconscionable” and supports a two state solution with a connected West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Moreover, his position on the conflict is prominently displayed on his Web site. The foreign policy section of his views is dominated by Israel-related policy, which is the first issues seen by a reader. He even includes a link to a petition to “end the blockade of Gaza.”
These positions have gained Tasini few votes in New York, but they have caught the attention of some international organizations, including the Muslimah Writers Alliance, which promotes writing careers for Muslim women, and is not exactly the organization you would expect to support a Jewish-American politician with Israeli heritage.
Conversely, Gillibrand’s campaign Web site does not mention the conflict in any prominent way.
Tasini isn’t going to win and the Gaza issue assuredly will not dominate voters’ concerns on election day. But, he has garnered attention to issues of concern and perhaps picked up a few votes along the way.