Henry Jackson’s withdrawal yesterday from the Democratic Party’s presidential primaries following hard on Hubert H. Humphrey’s refusal to enter them, virtually removes from consideration for the Presidency two of the Senate’s foremost champions of Israel and Soviet Jewry. All of the dozen candidates originally in the field strongly support Israel and the aspirations of Soviet citizens who wish to emigrate.
But Jackson unquestionably was the most outspoken among them. The Washington Senator was the principal author of the Jackson-Vanik provisions of the Trade Act of 1974 that bars U.S. trade benefits to the Soviet Union until it relaxes its emigration policy. He also introduced the legislation giving the government authority to provide up to $500 million annually to Israel as an assured basis for the flow of credit should foreign aid bills become bogged down in the legislative process.
Humphrey has for years been a staunch supporter of Israel. The Minnesota Senator’s most recent visible advocacy of Israel’s security is his leadership as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on foreign aid. Although out of the Presidential race, both Humphrey and Jackson will have strong influence in the Democratic Party platform that is to be written at the Democratic convention in New York in July. Both will now concentrate on their re-election to the Senate.
From the beginning of his campaign, Jackson was assured of the sympathy of a majority of Jewish voters and he received their support wherever he campaigned. Polls conducted by CBS and the New York Times indicated approximately two-thirds of Jews voting in the primaries supported him. Nevertheless, the so-called Jewish vote was not unanimously in favor of Jackson. Rep. Morris Udall .(D.Ariz.) received many votes from younger and more liberal Jews.
In reporting on the Massachusetts primary, which Jackson won, the Associated Press said that Udall did particularly well in some Jewish suburban areas and got more of the Jewish vote than Jackson who has made a continuing appeal to Jews.
The continued reference in press reports to his “Jewish support” brought a rejoinder from Jackson when he was questioned about it following the New York Primary. He said he won well in all sectors of the electorate. Udall, incidentally, captured a large segment of the Jewish vote in New York.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
