(JTA) — Longtime New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler handily defeated a Democratic primary challenge from Oliver Rosenberg, a gay, Orthodox Jewish former Republican.
Nadler, who has served New York’s 10th District since 1993, had 25,527 votes, or 88 percent, to Rosenberg’s 2,949 votes, according to unofficial figures. It was the first time in two decades that Nadler had faced a primary challenge.
One of the country’s most Jewish congressional districts, the 10th spans Columbia University, the Upper West Side and the West Village in Manhattan and the Brooklyn haredi Orthodox neighborhood of Borough Park.
Rosenberg sought to portray Nadler as a stale politician out of touch with his constituents, and attacked Nadler on his vote in favor of the Iran nuclear deal. The New York Daily News endorsed Rosenberg based on the Iran issue.
Nadler supported the deal after receiving a letter from President Barack Obama answering his concerns. The veteran lawmaker agreed with critics that the deal was flawed, but said he was “convinced it is the best option for achieving our overriding security imperative.”
Rosenberg, 30, a California native and graduate of Yeshiva University, is a former J.P. Morgan investment banker-turned-high-tech entrepreneur. He came out as gay in 2008 during a panel discussion at Yeshiva University, and in 2014 started Or Chayim, a monthly Orthodox Shabbat service on the Upper West Side for LGBT Jews.
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