Sen. Dan Sullivan Reelected After Runing Antisemitic Ads Against Jewish Opponent

In the final weeks of his Senate race, Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) ran online advertisements showing his challenger, Dr. Al Gross, a Jewish Independent, fanning stacks of cash, while Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) lurks in the shadows.

The image was accompanied with the warning that "Lower 48 Liberals Are Flooding Alaska with Millions."

The advertisement played on well-known antisemitic tropes about Jews and money by featuring Gross surrounded by and holding dozens of $100 bills. The depiction of Schumer in the shadows also played on antisemitic ‘puppet-master’ trope about Jewish power and secret control over political and world events. The National Republican Congressional Committee ran similar advertisements during the 2018 election cycle.

Despite the fact that the ad was widely condemned by Jewish groups and Alaska Jewish politicians, the campaign refused to apologize. Instead, Sullivan’s campaign manager flatly denied the campaign’s use of antisemitism, saying, “any suggestion that the senator or his campaign is antisemitic is just plain wrong."

Sullivan himself stated that “the theme of our race” was “all the money in the world can’t buy an election.” He used antisemitism to stoke fear and division in order to hang onto his Senate seat, and it worked. After all the votes were counted, he officially won reelection on November 11.