Arab-American voters in Michigan have begun to sour on the candidacy of Vice President Kamala Harris due to the Biden administration’s support for Israel’s offensive in Gaza.
A recent report from the New York Times profiled the sudden split Arab and Muslim voters in Michigan have made with Kamala Harris — a voting bloc of 300,000 people in a swing state.
“Four years ago, President Biden won Michigan with strong backing from many of those Americans. But interviews this weekend with voters, activists and community leaders in the Detroit area suggested that support for the Democratic ticket has not merely eroded among Arab Americans and Muslims,” noted the Times. “In some neighborhoods, it has all but vanished.”
Imam Hassan Qazwini, who founded the Islamic Institute of America in Dearborn Heights, said he might vote third party this year after voting for Joe Biden in 2020, expressing his disappointment in Harris for her lack of “even-handedness and fairness in handling the conflict” in Israel.
Fatima Klait, a 25-year-old in Dearborn, said that most people she knows will be voting “third-party or Trump.”
“I would rather have us not be involved in Israel whatsoever. But I do believe that Trump would do less damage overseas,” said Klait.
Other voters in the state expressed similar sentiments. As to why some Arab voters might go with Trump, at least one Dearborn resident, 27-year-old Hussein Beydoun, said that Trump’s America First messaging resonates.
“He cares more about what’s going on in America,” said Beydoun. “The Democratic Party seems to care more about what’s going on in other countries versus their own people.”
According to the Times, the Harris campaign has been “conducting outreach to Arab American and Muslim voters in Michigan and beyond.”
“She met with community leaders while in the state on Friday. And she has also received some endorsements from current and former Arab and Muslim elected officials and leaders, and from the group Emgage Action, which focuses on building Muslim American political power,” noted the outlet.
Just two weeks ago, Mayor of Hamtramck, Amer Ghalib, who leads the state’s only all-Muslim city government, endorsed Trump’s bid for 2024.
“President Trump and I may not agree on everything, but I know he is a man of principles,” Ghalib said in a post on Facebook. “Though it’s looking good, he may or may not win the election and be the 47th president of the United States, but I believe he is the right choice for this critical time. I’ll not regret my decision no matter what the outcome would be, and I’m ready to face the consequences.”
“Now, let the Caravan begin its journey,” Ghalib added. “This is just the starting point.”
