Joel Martin Rubin

Joel Martin Rubin (born April 8, 1971) is an American politician and media commentator on domestic political and Middle East affairs. He served as a member of the Chevy Chase Town Council from 2017 to 2023, and previously worked as a senior State Department official in the Obama administration. In 2020, Rubin also directed Jewish outreach for Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign.

Early life and education Rubin was born on April 8, 1971, and raised in a Conservative Jewish family He attended Brandeis University for his undergraduate education, where he received a bachelor's degree in politics. He went on to study Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College, where he received an M.S. in public policy and management with a minor in business administration. Rubin worked on Capitol Hill as a legislative assistant to U.S. Senators Tom Harkin of Iowa and Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, both Democrats.

Media Rubin appears as a political commentator on American networks such as MSNBC and Fox News; and on international networks such as i24, China Global Television Network, and Al-Jazeera. He also writes political and national security commentary for Axios, The Forward, Washington Jewish Week, and The Hill.

Rubin has also appeared in Jewish magazines for his political work.

Executive Branch Rubin worked for three U.S. government agencies in the administrations of Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama – the Department of Energy, USAID, and State Department. later commenting as well on the rise of antisemitism in America after the 2019 Poway synagogue shooting. Rubin frequently comments on foreign policy and congressional politics for networks such as Fox News, MSNBC, BBC, Al Jazeera.

Elections

Rubin ran for Congress in 2016 in Maryland's 8th congressional district, in what was the most expensive Congressional primary in American history at the time. He was defeated in the Democratic primary, placing second to last with 1.1 percent of the vote. and was subsequently re-elected in 2019 and 2021.

In 2018, Rubin unsuccessfully ran for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 18, seeking to succeed outgoing state delegates Jeff Waldstreicher and Ana Sol Gutierrez. He received endorsements from the Montgomery County Education Association and NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland during his campaign, but was defeated in the Democratic primary, placing fifth with 11.2 percent of the vote. The Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee nominated one of its members, Aaron Kaufman, to fill vacancy on April 20, 2022.

On July 24, 2023, Rubin announced that he would run for Congress in Maryland's 6th congressional district in 2024, seeking to succeed outgoing U.S. Representative David Trone. During the Democratic primary, he ran on a platform that included national and foreign policy issues. Rubin dropped out of the race on March 6, 2024, and endorsed former National Telecommunications and Information Administration deputy administrator April McClain Delaney.

Political positions During his tenure at the U.S. State Department, Rubin worked to prevent Congress from passing a resolution of disapproval of the Iran Nuclear Deal with a veto-proof majority. He also spoke against the Trans-Pacific Partnership, citing concerns over protections for workers at home and abroad, and said he supported moving funding away from the U.S. Department of Defense and toward education.

In October 2017, Rubin voted to approve a $50,000 grant to the Friends of the Capital Crescent Trail, a trail group that was suing to prevent the construction of the Purple Line, saying that the companies contracted to build the transit line were not following commitments to ease the impact to the town. The grant was rejected by the Chevy Chase Town Council by a 4–1 vote.

Israel Rubin has criticized the use of the term "apartheid" towards Israel as antisemitic. In October 2023, amid the Gaza war, Rubin said he supported providing additional air missile defense systems for the Iron Dome, supporting humanitarian efforts in Palestine, and preventing escalation from Hezbollah and Iran. During his 2024 congressional campaign, he described himself as a "defender of Israel", but said he opposed the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank as well as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposed judicial reforms. In 2026, Rubin wrote in The Free Press that the Democratic Party, via its perceived diminishing support for Israel, was "turning against the Jews" and "actively fueling antisemitism in" the United States.

Personal life

Rubin is married to his wife, Nilmini (née Gunaratne), whom he met at a going-away party for his college roommate in the spring of 2000. She is a Sri Lankan-American who works as a senior policy advisor for the House Foreign Affairs Committee and is a registered Republican. and have lived in Montgomery County, Maryland since 2006.

Electoral history