This year’s primary season has several local races for the selection of Democratic and Republican candidates for the Nov. 5 elections. They range from candidates for president of the United States down to candidates for local school boards. There are many choices and many qualified candidates.
Maryland’s Democratic Party primary is on May 14. Virginia’s is on June 18. Early voting and mail-in ballots are already available in both jurisdictions.
There are many friends of the Jewish community and supporters of a continuing, strong relationship between the United States and Israel who are running for office. We welcome the words of encouragement and support our community has received from each of them.
But two Democratic candidates for Congress have emerged from the pack. They both articulate full-throated, deeply held opposition to rising concerns of antisemitism and thoughtful, uncompromising support for Israel as it struggles to recover from the Oct. 7 terror attack, seeks the return of hostages held in Gaza, pursues victory in its war effort against Hamas and responds to continuing worldwide vilification for its efforts to defend its citizens against an enemy that has intentionally embedded itself within the civilian population.
Eileen Filler-Corn is a Democratic candidate for Virginia’s 10th Congressional District. She was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 2010 until early 2024 and served as the commonwealth’s first woman and first Jewish speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates.
Filler-Corn, the proud mother of two, is active in the Jewish community, including as a board member of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington and the American Jewish Committee, among many others. In Virginia’s House of Delegates and as speaker, Filler-Corn was a leading sponsor of efforts to address antisemitism, commemorate the Holocaust and celebrate and support Israel.
She is deeply committed to a resolution of the conflicts in Israel in a manner that assures Israel and its citizens safety, security and peace with the full support and backing of the United States. Filler-Corn is well-known and well-respected by our communal leaders and has been endorsed by Virginia’s former Gov. Ralph Northam, Virginia’s former Attorney General Mark Herring and a host of Virginia and area political leaders, including Rep. Jamie Raskin.
Joe Vogel is a Democratic candidate for Maryland’s 6th Congressional District. Vogel is young, energetic and remarkably accomplished. He attended Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, studied at George Washington University and Harvard University, and was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 2022, at which time he became the youngest Maryland state delegate in history.
During his time in office, Vogel has emerged as one of the state’s leading voices on health, education and equality issues. He is gay and a forceful advocate on LGBTQ+ issues. He also speaks with pride about the intersectionality of his Jewish and Latino ethnicity, which gives him perspective on issues of communal concern.
Vogel is a committed progressive who is an outspoken supporter of the state of Israel and the U.S.-Israel relationship. He has been endorsed by a host of current and former members of Congress and numerous social action and educational associations, including the Maryland State Education Association and the American Teachers Union.
The Democratic Party will be stronger, our community will have thoughtful and committed advocates on our issues and support for Israel will be strengthened with Filler-Corn and Vogel in Congress. We urge you to support them in their primary races in VA-10
and MD-6.