Craig Goldman of Texas wins race, becoming 3rd Jewish Republican in Congress

Goldman will join Reps. David Kustoff of Tennessee and Max Miller of Ohio as the Republican Jewish contingent in the House.

By RON KAMPEAS/JTA NOVEMBER 6, 2024 08:28 Updated: NOVEMBER 6, 2024 08:31

The US and Texas State flags fly over the Texas State Capitol in Austin (photo credit: REUTERS)

Craig Goldman, a businessman and Texas state legislator, handily won his congressional race in north Texas, bringing the number of Jewish Republicans in Congress to three for the first time in over a decade.

Goldman’s defeat Tuesday of Democrat Trey Hunt by a margin of 64% to 36% means that he succeeds Rep. Kay Granger in the 12th District, which stretches west from Dallas-Fort Worth. Granger, a long-serving Republican congresswoman who was close to the pro-Israel community, is retiring.

Goldman will join Reps. David Kustoff of Tennessee and Max Miller of Ohio are the Republican Jewish contingent in the House.

Jewish congress members

Republicans have not had three Jewish members in Congress since the 2000s, when Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia had a leading role in the House and Norm Coleman of Minnesota and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania served in the Senate. It shrunk to one in 2009 when Coleman was unseated, and Specter switched parties.

There are currently 24 Jewish Democrats in the House and nine in the Senate.

The flag for the state of Texas (credit: CREATIVE COMMONS)

Goldman, 56, is a real estate businessman who has served in the Texas legislature for 12 years, becoming the majority leader in the state House of Representatives. He has been an active member of and a fundraiser for the Republican Jewish Coalition.

“Congressman-Elect Goldman’s victory expands Jewish Republican representation with  @HouseGOP!” the RJC said in a tweet, congratulating Goldman.

According to a May profile in Jewish Insider, Goldman stands out against the ascendant isolationist wing within his party by supporting continued aid to the United States’ allies abroad, including both Israel and Ukraine.

Republicans in 2022 briefly believed they had moved up to three Jewish members in 2022 with Miller and New York’s George Santos joining Kustoff that year. Santos turned out to be a fabulist whose claims of Jewish heritage turned out to be among the many falsehoods he peddled. He was convicted of fraud charges and expelled from Congress.