Arab, Muslim Americans: A Decisive Factor In US Presidential Elections?

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) By Rola Riachi
WASHINGTON, Oct 8 (KUNA) -- As the Israeli occupation's ongoing assault on Gaza marks one-year, and the following two weeks of intense military operations in Lebanon, Arab and Muslim American voters find themselves facing significant decisions ahead of the upcoming US presidential election on November 5.
The Arab and Muslim American voters, with internal divisions over both economic and social issues, were left to choose between two primary candidates and other secondary options.
Will they unite as a voting bloc? And if so, could they influence the election outcome, especially in swing states?
Like other American voters, Arab and Muslim Americans were presented with two main choices: Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump, and Democratic candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Their secondary options include supporting an independent candidate or joining the "Uncommitted National Movement," which was launched in protest of President Joe Biden's administration's stance on Gaza.
Harris, who was nominated by the Democratic Party after Biden's withdrawal from the race in July, was actively courting Arab and Muslim voters, which were considered a significant demographic in swing states, where election outcomes are often undecided, unlike the predominantly red Republican-leaning states or the blue Democratic-leaning ones.
In an effort to win over voters in key states like Michigan, Harris has enlisted Egyptian-American attorney Brenda Abdelall, a former official in the Department of Homeland Security, to lead outreach efforts to Arab Americans, and Afghan-American lawyer Nasrin Barakzai has also been appointed to connect with Muslim Americans.
On Thursday, Democratic vice-presidential candidate and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz participated in a virtual event organized by Emgage Action's Million Muslim Votes: A Way Forward virtual summit the day after the vice-presidential debate.
However, the event, attended by around 300 people, highlighted declining Muslim support for the Democrats compared to the participation of over 3,000 people in a similar event during the 2020 presidential elections.
In a bid to bolster Harris's position, several Muslim religious leaders announced their endorsement in an open letter published last weekend by NBC News, the letter emphasized the importance of rational voting decisions, expressing belief that Harris was the best choice to end the bloodshed in Gaza and Lebanon, due to her commitment to a ceasefire.
It remains uncertain whether efforts to reconcile Arab and Muslim opposition to Biden's policies on Gaza and the new conflict in Lebanon would succeed, especially following last week's debate between Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz and Republican candidate JD Vance, during which Walz failed to differentiate himself on the issue of Israel's expansion, calling it an "absolute necessity" for US leadership in the region.
A poll conducted by the Arab American Institute and John Zogby Strategies on Wednesday showed Trump leading Harris among Arab American voters.
The survey, which included 500 registered Arab voters, revealed that ongoing hostilities in Gaza have significantly reduced traditional Democratic support, while 46 percent of respondents indicated they would support Trump, 42 percent said they would back Harris.
The poll also indicated that although Harris has regained much of the support lost by Biden after October 7, her approval still lags 18 points behind the level of support Biden enjoyed from Arab American voters in 2020.
Trump's repeated claims that ongoing conflicts, including those in Ukraine and the Middle East, "would not have happened" under his presidency, and his promise to end them if re-elected, have resonated with many Americans, including Arab and Muslim voters.
These voters were opposed to the conflicts either for moral reasons or because they believe taxpayer dollars funding the wars could be better spent on education, healthcare, and housing.
Beyond the Arab and Muslim communities' views on Democratic and Republican policies concerning Gaza and Lebanon, Republicans were banking on the support of these traditionally conservative voters, particularly regarding social issues like opposition to abortion.
In a recent analytical piece on the impact of Middle Eastern developments on the US presidential election, journalist Megan Mineiro noted that the latest escalations in the Middle East were unlikely to affect the majority of American voters.
However, she added that US responses to the conflict have divided Arab American voters between Democrats and Republicans ahead of the November elections, and that the average American voter does not consider the war in the Middle East a top priority when deciding who to vote for on November 5. (end)
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