Joey Cohen-Saban
D · New York State Assembly, District 45 · Tier 1/2
Tier 1/2, between “Firmly pro-Israel” and “Mainstream pro-Israel”
Runs as a pro-Israel Democrat: in 2024 he petitioned for a separate “Pro-Israel Party” ballot line (it did not make the ballot), saying “The line would provide a way for people to show support for Israel” and “This Pro-Israel ballot line transcends politics,” and in 2026 he is on a ‘Fight Anti-Semitism Party’ line. His platform pledges to “speak out forcefully against attacks on Israel” and to be “a strong, unwavering voice in Albany for the US-Israel relationship — pushing back against efforts to undermine this critical alliance,” citing his campus pro-Israel advocacy at George Washington University. At State Sen. Sam Sutton’s October 7, 2026 memorial rally, Jewish Insider quoted him, as Sutton’s chief of staff, on Mayor Mamdani’s anniversary statement, which called the war in Gaza a genocide: “The fact that [Mamdani] includes such disgusting remarks in a statement that’s allegedly supposed to remember victims of Oct. 7 shows again that he is inherently antisemitic.” Asked by Jewish Insider in October 2026 about a new committee, formed by the treasurer of an anti-AIPAC super PAC, to back him and two other Brooklyn Democrats, he said, “I’m a proud supporter of AIPAC, and if there is any organization, PAC, whatever you want to call it, that is trying to get involved in my race, but doesn’t share my values, I don’t welcome their help.”
A 1/2, the textbook outcome. His record is unqualified support for Israel with no expressed concern for Palestinian civilians, and as a non-officeholder he has no votes or authored measures. The Israel-branded ballot lines are the closest thing to leadership on the issue, but a party line is a campaign vehicle, not the authorship, anti-BDS enforcement, maximalist rhetoric or marquee fundraising that Tier 1 requires; read as a brand, a candidacy built on a ‘Pro-Israel Party’ line would make the case for a clean 1. Open to a flat 2 if a Gaza-civilian statement surfaces.
Open the full card, with votes, money and every source, on elect26 →
elect26 places 2026 midterm candidates on a six-tier spectrum, from 1 (most pro-Israel) to 6 (most critical of Israel).