This is a list of notable Jewish American politicians, arranged chronologically. For other Jewish Americans, see Lists of Jewish Americans.
Federal government Members of Congress
Cabinet officials
Other Doug Emhoff, former Second Gentleman of the United States Stephen Miller, Senior Advisor to the President, Homeland Security Advisor, and White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy
State government Governors StatePortraitNamePartyAssumed officeLeft officeNotes GeorgiaDemocratic-RepublicanEmanuel may not have been an openly practicing Jew.As an adult he became a Presbyterian, but modern historians accept he was Jewish. WisconsinRepublican WashingtonRepublican CaliforniaDemocraticCalifornia's first and only Jewish governor IdahoDemocraticIdaho's first and only Jewish governor UtahDemocraticUtah's first and only Jewish governor New MexicoDemocraticNew Mexico's first Jewish governor OregonIndependentOregon's first Jewish governor New YorkDemocraticNew York's first Jewish governor FloridaDemocraticFlorida's first Jewish governor IllinoisDemocraticIllinois' first Jewish governor WisconsinRepublican AlaskaDemocraticAlaska's first and only Jewish governor ConnecticutDemocraticConnecticut's first and only Jewish governor IllinoisDemocratic Rhode IslandDemocraticRhode Island's first Jewish governor MarylandDemocraticMaryland's first and only Jewish governor*Blair Lee III served as Acting Governor from June 4, 1977, to January 15, 1979 PennsylvaniaDemocraticPennsylvania's first Jewish governor VermontDemocraticVermont's first Jewish governor OregonDemocratic Rhode IslandDemocratic HawaiiRepublicanHawaii's first Jewish governor PennsylvaniaDemocratic New YorkDemocratic DelawareDemocraticDelaware's first Jewish governor VermontDemocratic MissouriRepublicanMissouri's first Jewish governor ColoradoDemocraticIncumbentColorado's first Jewish governor IllinoisDemocraticIncumbent HawaiiDemocraticIncumbent PennsylvaniaDemocraticIncumbent North CarolinaJosh SteinDemocraticJanuary 1, 2025IncumbentNorth Carolina's first Jewish Governor DelawareMatt MeyerDemocraticJanuary 21, 2025Incumbent
Lieutenant governors
StatePortraitNamePartyAssumed officeLeft office LouisianaDemocratic New YorkDemocratic IllinoisDemocratic VermontDemocratic MissouriDemocratic Rhode IslandDemocratic MissouriDemocratic MarylandDemocratic PennsylvaniaRepublican OhioDemocratic DelawareDemocratic New YorkDemocratic LouisianaRepublican HawaiiDemocratic ConnecticutDemocratic KentuckyDemocratic FloridaRepublican Vermont Vermont Progressive Party HawaiiDemocraticVermontVermont Progressive Party
State Attorneys General
StatePortraitNamePartyAssumed officeLeft office New YorkDemocratic MarylandDemocratic MarylandDemocratic New YorkDemocratic New YorkRepublican OhioRepublican New JerseyDemocratic New YorkRepublican DelawareIndependent MassachusettsRepublican New YorkRepublican New YorkRepublican CaliforniaDemocratic New HampshireRepublican Rhode IslandRepublican FloridaDemocratic VermontDemocratic Rhode IslandDemocratic New YorkDemocratic MarylandDemocratic ConnecticutDemocratic ConnecticutDemocratic OhioDemocratic New YorkDemocratic Rhode IslandRepublican New JerseyDeborah Poritz at Jewish Women's ArchiveRepublican New YorkDemocratic New JerseyNew Jersey Jewish News: "Jewish figures on all sides of ‘Bridgegate’ – Christie friends, foes include a schoolmate, attorney, and mayor" by Robert Wiener] January 29, 2014Independent New JerseyDemocratic MarylandDemocratic LouisianaDemocratic Republican New YorkTimes of Israel: "NY state attorney says he was target of anti-Semitic Trump supporters" August 27, 2016.Democratic ArizonaRepublican GeorgiaRepublican OregonDemocratic DelawareDemocratic MarylandDemocratic North CarolinaDemocratic PennsylvaniaDemocratic MichiganDemocraticIncumbent ColoradoDemocraticIncumbentWashington D.C.DemocraticIncumbent
State Secretaries of State
StatePortraitNamePartyAssumed officeLeft office New YorkRepublican New YorkDemocratic New YorkRepublican ConnecticutRepublican FloridaDemocratic FloridaDemocratic VermontDemocratic LouisianaRepublican MissouriDemocratic ColoradoDemocraticIncumbent
State Treasurers
StatePortraitNamePartyAssumed officeLeft office New JerseyDemocratic New JerseyDemocratic MaineDemocratic Rhode IslandRepublican DelawareDemocratic KentuckyDemocratic MassachusettsDemocratic Ohio"Mandel speech before Republican Jewish Coalition", YouTube. July 3, 2008. Retrieved November 29, 2009.Republican NevadaRepublican Rhode IslandDemocratic MassachusettsDemocraticIncumbent
Other State Cabinet Positions
StatePositionPortraitNamePartyAssumed officeLeft office FloridaAgriculture Commissioner"As Florida's only Jewish statewide-elected official...", Twitter. April 8, 2021.Democratic
State legislators Daniel Ankeles, Member of the Maine House of Representatives Simcha Felder, Member of the New York State Senate Lazarus Joseph (1891–1966), Member of the New York State Senate and New York City Comptroller Micah Lasher (born 1981), Member of the New York State Assembly"From Jewish teen magician to congressional contender: Meet Micah Lasher, Jerry Nadler’s heir apparent," The Forward, September 4, 2025. Florence Shapiro (born 1948), Member of the Texas State Senate (1993–2013) Loretta Weinberg (born 1935), former Majority Leader of the New Jersey Senate Saul Weprin (1927–1994), Speaker of the New York State Assembly
Municipal government Mayors of major cities
Current mayors of major cities CityStatePortraitNamePartyAssumed officeLeft office San FranciscoCaliforniaDemocraticIncumbent MinneapolisMinnesotaDemocraticIncumbent
Former mayors of major cities
Jerry Abramson (D-Louisville, KY: 1986–1999; 2003–2011) Steve Adler (D-Austin, TX: 2015-2023) Moses Alexander (D-Boise, ID: 1897–1899; 1901–1903) Abe Aronovitz (R-Miami, FL: 1953–1955) Harry Bacharach (R-Atlantic City, NJ: 1912; 1916–1920; 1930–1935) Walt Bachrach (R-Cincinnati, OH: 1960–1967 Abraham Beame (D-New York, NY: 1974–1977) Martin Behrman (D-New Orleans, LA: 1904–1920; 1925–1926) Andy Berke (D-Chattanooga, TN: 2013-2021) Richard Berkley (R-Kansas City, MO: 1979–1991) Ethan Berkowitz (D-Anchorage, AK: 2015–2020)ww.adn.com/article/20150701/berkowitz-sworn-anchorage-mayor-downtown-ceremony Bruce Blakeman (R-First Presiding Officer of Nassau County, NY) Michael Bloomberg (D-New York, NY: 2002–2013) David Cicilline (D-Providence, RI: 2003–2011) Josh Cohen (D-Annapolis, MD: 2009–2013) Larry Cohen (D-Saint Paul, MN: 1972–1976) Norm Coleman (R-Saint Paul, MN: 1997–2002) Leopold David (Anchorage, AK: 1920–1923), first mayor of Anchorage Rahm Emanuel (D-Chicago, IL: 2011–2019) Mutt Evans (D-Durham, NC: 1951–1963) Dianne Feinstein (D-San Francisco, CA: 1978–1988) (The Pale of Settlement policy restricted Jews to living in specifically designated parts of Czarist Russia. They were excluded from living in the main Russian cities.) Bob Filner (D-San Diego, CA: 2012–2013) Samuel Folz (D-Kalamazoo, MI: 1903) Lois Frankel (D-West Palm Beach, FL: 2003–2011) Sandra Freedman (D-Tampa, FL: 1986–1995) Jeffrey Friedman (D-Austin, TX: 1975–1977) Steven Fulop (D-Jersey City, NJ: 2013-2026) Eva Galambos (R-Sandy Springs, GA: 2005–2014) Eric Garcetti (D-Los Angeles, CA; 2013–2022) Bailey Gatzert (I-Seattle, WA: 1875–1876) Susan Golding (R-San Diego, CA: 1992–2000) Neil Goldschmidt (D-Portland, OR: 1973–1979) Stephen Goldsmith (R-Indianapolis, IN: 1992–2000) Carolyn Goodman (I-Las Vegas, NV: 2011-2024) Phil Gordon (D-Phoenix, AZ: 2004–2012) Bill Gradison (R-Cincinnati, OH: 1971)Stone, Kurt F. "The Jews of Capitol Hill: A Compendium of Jewish Congressional Members, (2011). Pages 310–312. . Robert Harris (D-Ann Arbor, MI: 1969–1973) Adlene Harrison (D-Dallas, TX: 1976) Max Heller (D-Greenville, SC: 1971–1979) Julius Houseman (D-Grand Rapids, MI: 1872–1873; 1874–1875) Vera Katz (D-Portland, OR: 1993–2005) Ed Koch (D-New York, NY: 1978–1989) Rick Kriseman (D-St. Petersburg, FL: 2014-2022) Joseph Lazarow (R-Atlantic City, NJ: 1976–1982) Oscar Leeser (D-El Paso, TX: 2013–2017, 2021–Present) Henry Loeb (D-Memphis, TN: 1960–1963; 1968–1971), Zachariah J. Loussac (D-Anchorage, AK: 1948–1951)Zachariah J. Loussac Sophie Masloff (D-Pittsburgh, PA: 1988–1994) Sam Massell (D-Atlanta, GA: 1970–1974) Laura Miller (D-Dallas, TX: 2002–2007) Arthur Naftalin (D-Minneapolis, MN: 1961–1969) Ron Nirenberg (D-San Antonio, TX: 2017-2025) Meyera Oberndorf (D-Virginia Beach, VA: 1988–2009) Ed Rendell (D-Philadelphia, PA: 1992 – 2000) Jonathan Rothschild (D-Tucson, AZ: 2011–2019) Libby Schaaf (D-Oakland, CA: 2015–2023) Steve Schewel (D-Durham, NC: 2017–2021) Kel Seliger (R-Amarillo, TX: 1993–2001) Florence Shapiro (R-Plano, TX: 1990–1992) Joseph Simon (R-Portland, OR: 1909–1911) Paul Soglin (D-Madison, WI: 1973–1979; 1989–1997; 2011–2019) Jerry Springer (D-Cincinnati, OH: 1977–1978) Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento, CA: 2016-2024) Annette Strauss (D-Dallas, TX: 1987–1991) Adolph Sutro (R-San Francisco, CA: 1895–1897) Miro Weinberger (D-Burlington, VT: 2012-2024) Susan Weiner (R-Savannah, GA: 1992–1996) Edward Zorinsky (R-Omaha, NE: 1973–1976)
Other Chelsea Cook, Member of the Durham City Council
Presidential and vice presidential candidates Tonie Nathan was the vice presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party in 1972. She received one electoral vote for vice president (from a faithless elector that had pledged his vote for Republicans Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew), thus becoming the first Jew to receive an electoral vote for either president or vice president. Arlen Specter ran for the Republican nomination in 1996, but dropped out before the Iowa caucuses. He later became a Democrat. Joe Lieberman was the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2000, receiving 266 electoral votes for vice president. Four years later, he ran for the Democratic presidential nomination for the 2004 election. He became an Independent in 2006. Jill Stein was the Green Party nominee in 2012. She lost with 0.36% of the vote, or 470,000 votes. She ran in the 2016 Presidential Election, but lost with just over one percent. Stein ran for a third time in 2024 as the Green Party nominee. Bernie Sanders ran for president in 2016 as a Democrat. He became the first Jewish candidate to win a Democratic party primary with a victory in New Hampshire. He lost the nomination to Hillary Clinton. He ran again in 2020. Sanders received one vote in the electoral college in 2016 from David Mulinix of Hawaii, thus making him the first Jew to receive a vote for president in the college. In addition to this, he received two invalidated votes from other voters in the electoral college. Michael Bennet ran in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries. Michael Bloomberg ran as a candidate in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries. Marianne Williamson, raised in a Jewish family, ran in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries. Williamson ran again four years later in the 2024 Democratic Party presidential primaries. Dean Phillips ran as a candidate in the 2024 Democratic Party presidential primaries.
See also Jewish Democratic Council of America List of Jewish political milestones in the United States List of Jewish American jurists Republican Jewish Coalition
References