Staff Reports
Here’s the short version: a social-media activist named Adina Flores whose posts include clear antisemitic tropes publicly endorsed Democratic congressional candidate Eric Jones in California’s 4th District, and the endorsement blew up overnight. The candidate’s campaign quickly condemned hate, but the damage is the kind campaigns don’t want this close to the midterms.
Adina Flores, Her Posts, and the Endorsement
Adina Flores didn’t whisper her views; she shouted them in videos and posts that said things like, “But we’re literally run by the gay Jewish mafia — the Zionists in Sonoma County. The Jews still run the world… All our money gets sent to Israel.” That kind of language is not debate. It’s conspiracy theory and hate. Flores then put that same voice behind Eric Jones, and suddenly a local endorsement turned into a national story.
Why Eric Jones Had to Respond
The Jones campaign was forced to say what any decent campaign would: they “firmly condemn any and all hate toward our Jewish and LGBTQ+ communities” and have “zero tolerance for hateful commentary.” They even reminded reporters Mr. Jones’s wife is Jewish and their family is being raised in a Jewish household. Fine — sensible words. But a short, polite condemnation doesn’t erase the optics or the fact that the endorsement came from someone publicly spreading antisemitic lies.
Not an Isolated Flap — A Broader Pattern
This isn’t just a Sonoma County problem. Since October 7 last year, watchdogs documented a big spike in antisemitic incidents on college campuses and in public life. The ADL and others reported large percentage increases in campus incidents, and multiple Democratic-aligned figures have faced criticism for Israel- or Jewish-related remarks. That pattern matters. Voters notice when a party’s activist wing traffics in hate, and the party’s leaders keep having to clean up the mess.
What This Means for the Midterms and Voters
Local controversies like the Flores endorsement can turn into national talking points fast. Jewish voters — and voters who simply reject bigotry — could be pushed to pay closer attention. Republicans should call this out plainly: bigotry has no safe harbor in politics. Democrats, meanwhile, can either demand accountability now or keep pretending these are isolated incidents. Either way, the midterms will be the test. If the party wants to keep its coalition, it needs to stop letting the radical corners set the narrative.
Bottom line: endorsements are supposed to help campaigns, not hand opponents a live grenade. The Jones camp did the right thing by condemning hate. But the bigger question is whether the Democratic Party will stop letting people who traffic in antisemitic conspiracies speak for them — or whether voters will finally notice that words have consequences at the ballot box. If Democrats want to keep blaming “misinformation,” maybe they should try less of the misinformation and more of the moral clarity. That would be a start.
