Eli Northrup
D · New York State Assembly, District 69 · Tier 3
Tier 3, “Pro-Israel, critical”
Won the June 2026 AD-69 primary 60–39% over Rabbi Stephanie Ruskay; he is unopposed in November, on the Democratic and Working Families lines. A Mamdani-backed public defender (Jewish, JFREJ member), he is effectively member-elect on the Upper West Side / Morningside Heights. A self-described Jewish critic of Israel who frames it around accountability and international law rather than ‘genocide’: “being a Jew means that you can criticize Israel… not a two-tiered system of existence.” Rejects the Zionist/anti-Zionist binary entirely. Endorsed by the organized Jewish left. He opposes the buffer-zone bill on free-speech grounds, and backs the goal of Not on Our Dime while generalizing it to any violator of international law. He still affirms that “Israel exists and it’s a nation,” says foreign policy is not his focus, and has no genocide, arms-embargo, or BDS position in his own voice.
A 3, on a thin record: two interviews, and he says foreign policy will not be his focus in the state legislature. He criticizes Israel in his own words — “being a Jew means that you can criticize Israel,” and everyone in the region deserves “peace and dignity and independence, and not a two-tiered system of existence” — and declines the Zionist label: “I certainly don’t see myself in those terms.” He also affirms that “Israel exists and it’s a nation.” But he takes no position on weapons or military aid, does not use the word genocide, takes no BDS position, and on Not on Our Dime backs only the goal, which he would widen to “any non-profit that supports the violation of international law, whether it’s in Israel or other countries.” He opposes buffer-zone laws around houses of worship on free-speech grounds. Counter-case: 3/4, weighing his refusal of the Zionist label and his defense of protest rights more heavily.
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elect26 places 2026 midterm candidates on a six-tier spectrum, from 1 (most pro-Israel) to 6 (most critical of Israel).