J Street’s hour has arrived

Today, J Street executive director Jeremy Ben-Ami sent an email to supporters with the subject line “ASTOUNDING.”

All 49 House incumbents endorsed by the PAC were re-elected. All seven of the J Street Senate candidates were elected, including Democrats Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin, Martin Heinrich in New Mexico, and Tim Kaine in Virginia.

J Street’s challengers and candidates for open seats were elected in 13 out of 15 races. Ben-Ami noted that the PAC adds one more and gets to its touted victory total if Ami Bera holds on to his razor-thin lead over Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Calif.).

Lungren is not conceding as Bera holds a 184-vote lead with tens of thousands of absentee and provisional ballots still to be counted.

J Street also cheered the losses of “One-State Caucus” Reps. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.), Allen West (R-Fla.), Bobby Schilling (R-Ill.), Frank Guinta (R-N.H.), and Ann Marie Buerkle (R-N.Y.). All were freshman reps who came to power in the GOP’s 2010 midterm Tea Party-driven rout.

West has launched a legal challenge of Democrat Patrick Murphy’s 2,456-vote lead. The congressman today asked a judge to impound ballots and voting machines, and his campaign called for a recount while alleging polling irregularities.

The lobbying group defines this “caucus” as “members of Congress who put Israel’s democracy and Jewish character at risk by promoting policies–such as annexation of the West Bank–that are at odds with long standing bipartisan support for a two-state solution.”

“This is an incredible victory – one that is part of transforming the political atmosphere around Israel in the U.S. that has blocked meaningful American efforts to achieve a two-state solution for decades,” Ben-Ami said.

He declared that “the campaign to sow fear and doubt among Jewish voters on Israel in an effort to defeat President Obama failed.”

There were no Republicans or independents on J Street’s endorsement list.

Tellingly, J Street also did not endorse either Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) or House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Howard Berman (D-Calif.). Both are strong pro-Israel members, and Sherman defeated Berman in a redistricting race yesterday.