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Follow UsWidespread frustration among Arab Americans and Muslims regarding U.S. support for Israel’s actions in Gaza and Lebanon could jeopardize Vice President Kamala Harris’s chances in the upcoming election, Green Party candidate Jill Stein told Reuters on Sunday.
Current polls indicate a close race between Harris and her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, for the November 5 election, with Stein currently receiving only 1% support nationally, similar to her standing in the 2016 election.
However, Stein has experienced increasing backing from Arab Americans and Muslims in key states like Michigan, Arizona, and Wisconsin, where their substantial populations aided President Joe Biden in his narrow victories during the 2020 election.
Stein has actively sought the support of these communities by advocating for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and an immediate U.S. arms embargo against Israel. An August poll conducted by the Council on American Islamic Relations revealed that she is drawing support away from Harris in those crucial states.
"The Democrats have lost the Muslim American and Arab American vote," Stein stated after a rally attended by about 100 people in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn on Sunday. "They are going to lose enough swing states to prevent victory."
She noted that the Democrats could regain those voters by implementing an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon and ceasing arms sales to Israel, yet she sees no indication of such actions taking place.
The Biden administration, along with several allies like France, has been calling for an immediate 21-day ceasefire along the Israel-Lebanon border and has struggled to negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza for months.
When asked about her potential role as a "spoiler," possibly drawing votes away from Harris and aiding Trump in those states, Stein acknowledged that while another Trump presidency would be "terrible," continuing Democratic rule would also be problematic due to high rental costs, ongoing wars in Gaza and Lebanon, and civil liberties concerns.
"This is a very dire situation that will persist under both Democrats and Republicans. So we assert there is no lesser evil in this race," she remarked.
The Democratic Party has labeled Stein as a "spoiler candidate" with no viable path to victory.
"She put Donald Trump in the White House in 2016, and she’s prepared to do it again. A vote for Stein is a vote for Trump," said Adrienne Watson, senior adviser to the Democratic National Committee.
Harris has been working to address the concerns of Arab American and Muslim voters, meeting with a small group of local leaders in Flint, Michigan, on Friday.
The Muslim advocacy group Emgage Action endorsed Harris last month, expressing disagreement with her stance on the Gaza conflict but asserting that Trump represents a greater threat. Another group, Arab Americans for Harris-Walz, was launched last week.
On Monday, a campaign group called "Abandon Harris" announced its endorsement of Stein, emphasizing a collective commitment to oppose oppression "and using all our power to stop genocide—wherever it may arise."
Trump is also seeking to attract Arab and Muslim voters, with his campaign recently opening an office in Hamtramck, a Detroit suburb whose Yemeni American mayor, Amer Ghalib, has endorsed him.
"For the Arab American and Muslim leaders in Detroit, the clear choice is between Jill Stein and Donald Trump, and our argument is that only one person has brought lasting peace to the region, and that’s Donald Trump," said Richard Grenell, who has conducted numerous meetings with these voters in Michigan, Arizona, and other critical states.