A prominent Jewish donor to Republican politicians has become the target of a new ad tied to Kentucky’s GOP congressional primary.
The one-minute spot criticizes the candidacy of Republican Ed Gallrein, a retired Navy Seal backed by President Donald Trump, who is running against incumbent Rep. Thomas Massie in Kentucky’s 4th district. Among Gallrein’s donors is Paul Singer, the billionaire hedge fund manager at Elliot Management.
The ad claims that Singer, 81, will bring his “trans madness to Kentucky.” It describes him as a “major pro-gay, pro-trans activist who works with far-left, hardcore Democrats,” and shows a Star of David overlaid with the rainbow Pride flag. It also shows drag queens, multiple Pride flags, and the logo of the LGBTQ advocacy group the Human Rights Campaign.
Singer, who is Jewish, is a major Republican donor. His son is gay, and Singer is a longtime advocate for gay rights.
The stereotype that Jews are responsible for promoting an LGBTQ agenda has proliferated on the far right, according to antisemitism watchdogs.
The Kentucky ad was paid for by Hold the Line PAC, a group “focused on Religious Liberty, 2A, and Restoring Election Integrity,” according to its website. (HoldtheLinePAC.com is distinct from HoldtheLinePAC.org, a Democratic PAC.) It encourages viewers to vote for Massie, who has held the seat since 2012.
Ad sparks backlash over antisemitic imagery
The ad has drawn widespread condemnation. “This ad is totally insane! As if homophobia wasn’t enough, you had to make it antisemitic, too, using a Star of David to label the Jew. I’ll always call out hate when we see it,” tweeted Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a Jewish Democrat from New Jersey, about the ad.
It comes at a time when the Star of David is associated for many Americans not just with Judaism but with Israel, which is increasingly unpopular among voters in both parties.
Massie, the Kentucky incumbent, is one of the most anti-Israel Republicans in Congress, criticizing U.S. support for Israel and voting against a resolution condemning the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement. In 2023, Massie voted against a resolution that equated anti-Zionism with antisemitism.
Most recently, he voted against continued funding for the Iron Dome defense system in Israel and did not support American intervention in Iran. (He has also drawn allegations of antisemitism for comments unrelated to Israel, such as when he compared COVID measures to the Holocaust in a 2021 Twitter post.)
Singer’s political and Jewish philanthropy
Singer, meanwhile, is one of the top Jewish donors to political causes. He gave $8.8 million to Republican candidates during the 2020 election cycle. Though Singer was a Trump skeptic during the president’s first term, he warmed up during his second term. Bloomberg reported Singer gave $14.5 million to the Senate Leadership Fund and $8 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund.
Singer also gave $2.5 million to United Democracy Project, the super PAC affiliated with AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby. The hedge fund manager’s foundation also gives more broadly to Jewish and pro-Israel causes. In 2018, the Paul E. Singer Foundation gave $1 million to help provide security to Jewish institutions in the wake of the Tree of Life synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh.
Jewish candidates have faced similar attacks before
The anti-Gallrein TV spot is not the first time a candidate has smeared a Jewish opponent with stereotypes that perpetuate negative tropes about Jews involved in politics. In one example, Republican Senate candidate David Perdue in Georgia ran a flyer campaign in 2020 that appeared to show an elongated nose on his Jewish opponent, Democrat Jon Ossoff. Ossoff won the election.