Green Party candidate Jill Stein is outpacing Vice President Kamala Harris by 18 points among Arab American voters, signaling challenges for Harris in the upcoming election.
Breitbart reported that the recent polling results, shared on X by Abed Ayoub, the Executive Director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), have highlighted a notable shift in the Arab American community's political leanings.
Jill Stein, representing the Green Party, has garnered 45.3% of the Arab American vote, whereas Kamala Harris has secured only 27.5%. This polling was executed collaboratively by the ADC and Mo Maraqa, engaging a sample size of over 3,130 responses on July 27 and July 28.
Other candidates lag significantly in the poll, with former President Donald Trump capturing just 2% and Robert Kennedy Jr. a mere 1.3%. Additionally, the poll reveals that 17.9% of the respondents remain undecided, and 6% expressed their decision to abstain from voting.
Kamala Harris’s decreasing popularity among Arab Americans appears to be a consequence of the Biden-Harris administration's foreign policy. Particularly, their management of the Israel-Hamas conflict has been a critical factor.
This discontent was further fueled by Harris's recent meetings with Israeli leaders, where she reiterated support for Israel's right to defend itself.
"Harris’s poor showing is better than President Joe Biden’s showing in ADC’s May poll, which was seven percent. However, her numbers are still a far cry from Biden’s popularity with Arab Americans in 2020 before his handling of the Israel-Hamas war torpedoed his support in the community," stated Abed Ayoub, shedding light on the declining trend among one of the once-staunch supporters of the Democratic Party.
Arab American and Muslim voters played a substantial role in securing Biden's victories in critical states like Michigan and Wisconsin during the 2020 elections.
However, over 100,000 "uncommitted" votes in Michigan's primary against Biden indicate stirring unrest and dissatisfaction within these communities.
This political unrest is magnified against a backdrop where Reuters has reported the Palestinian death toll has risen to 39,000. The stark figure resonates deeply within the Arab American community, influencing their political engagement and voter behavior.
Amidst these turbulent times, Jill Stein has tapped into the growing disillusionment. Her stance and policies seemingly resonate more effectively with those voters disenchanted by the mainstream political discourse surrounding international conflicts and U.S. foreign policy.
Analyst Durbin comments, "Voters look at the entirety of the career of candidates,” suggesting that Stein’s consistent positions might be swaying Arab American voters disillusioned by the Democratic Party's recent decisions.
This shift could also affect VP selection dynamics for Kamala Harris should she pursue a further term. Critics have focused on her recent defense of Israel's strike on Hezbollah.
"What we know in particular is it (Israel) has the right to defend itself against a terrorist organization, which is exactly what Hezbollah is," Harris emphasized, an assertion that continues to stir controversy within segments of her voter base.
Dawud Walid’s remarks, captured by Charles Blow, articulate the depth of betrayal felt by many: “For most Muslims, anything short of Biden ‘resurrecting 29,000 dead Palestinians like Jesus’ would mean that they will never vote for him again.”
There are also concerns about Gov. Josh Shapiro's potential VP candidacy due to his staunch support for Israel and criticism of pro-Gaza campus protests. This tension highlights the challenges Harris faces in reuniting a fractured base.
In conclusion, the interaction of foreign policy decisions, electoral histories, and emerging candidates like Jill Stein are reshaping the political landscape for Arab American voters.
As dissatisfaction simmers within the community over the Biden-Harris administration's approach to international conflicts, the upcoming elections may see a shift in traditional voting behaviors, presenting both a challenge and a call for introspection within the Democratic Party.