Once unthinkable for a Democrat presidential candidate, Arab American voters in Michigan are abandoning Kamala Harris in droves. Many cite the Biden-Harris administration's support for Israel's offense in Gaza, while others say they'll vote for Trump and "America First." 

Harris' "Campaign of Joy" aside, as noted by The New York Times, the Democrat presidential nominee's support in the key state's Arab American community pails in comparison to Biden's in 2020.

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. In some neighborhoods, it has all but vanished.

Michigan has the largest number of Arab Americans in the United States, with Detroit suburb Dearborn as the country's largest city with an Arab majority in the US, with 55 percent of its more than 110,000 population claiming Middle Eastern or North African roots in the latest census. In other words, if Harris loses a substantial percentage of the Arab American votes in Michigan, she could also lose the key swing state. 

“I personally don’t know anyone who would vote for Harris,” said Imam Hassan Qazwini, who founded the Islamic Institute of America in Dearborn Heights. Qazwini said he plans to vote third-party this year after supporting Biden in 2020.

Initially, Qazwini said, according to The Times, that many Arabs hoped Harris would “show some even-handedness and fairness in handling the conflict. But unfortunately, that was wishful thinking.”

"The conflict" being Israel's two-front war, with one front in Gaza against Hamas and the other in Lebanon against Hezbollah. As I've previously asked, what constitutes even-handedness and fairness against radical Islamists who on one side murdered, tortured, and raped Israeli men, women, and children, while on the other side continued to indiscriminately fire hundreds of missiles into the Jewish state? 

Arab Support for Trump: Who'd a Thunk It?

The mayor of Hamtramck, Michigan, the only city in the country with an all-Arab government, said on Sept. 22 that he has endorsed Donald Trump. Mayor Amer Ghalib called Trump a “man of principles” and “the right choice” despite their disagreements on some issues.

President Trump and I may not agree on everything, but I know he is a man of principles. 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.

Here's more, via The Times:

The discontent is palpable on the ground in Michigan, which has more than 300,000 residents with Middle Eastern or North African ancestry, though high-quality polling on Arab American and Muslim voters is scant. In nearly two dozen interviews this weekend with a range of these voters across levels of religious observance and familial countries of origin, just two said they were voting for her.

Michigan also has a sizable Jewish community, historically one of the Democratic Party’s most loyal constituencies and one with a wide range of opinions on Israel’s government. After years of speculation over whether Republicans could expand their support among Jewish voters — they have generally struggled to do so — some Democrats wonder whether this year might be different.

If a substantial percentage of both Arab Americans and Jewish Americans can rally around Donald Trump and the Republican Party in November, the 2024 election could indeed be historic.

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As Mayor Ghalib said, "Let the caravan begin its journey. This is just the starting point.”