Vice President Kamala Harris’s most promising route to the White House lies in the crucial “blue wall” states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
But even within that division, there are further fractures. A newly formed Muslim American organization called Abandon Harris has now endorsed Jill Stein of the Green Party for president, as they seek to defeat the vice president in swing states.
Emgage Action, a Muslim American voter organization established in 2006, recently announced its endorsement of Harris. In a conversation this week, they revealed that the opposition to the vice president and president initially stemmed from conservative Muslims who were concerned about social issues such as LGBTQ+ rights and gender identity, prior to the Hamas attacks.
Abandon Harris was initially introduced as Abandon Biden, back when the current president was still seeking re-election. Similar to Biden, Harris has struggled to find a proper balance between maintaining a strong alliance with Israel and addressing the ongoing issues in Gaza. It appears that her approach is to address these concerns only if she is successful in winning the election.
Jill Stein’s campaign makes it clear: They want Kamala Harris to lose
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In the midst of all the uncertainty surrounding this election, it is important to acknowledge one thing we can be certain about – Stein will not be victorious in the race for the presidency.
However, as we observed during the 2016 election between Trump and Hillary Clinton, Stein’s presence on the ballot could potentially garner enough votes in swing states to influence the outcome of the election.
During a rally in Dearborn, Michigan, one of Jill Stein’s strongest backers, Kshama Sawant, expressed her confidence in Stein’s chances. She emphasized this support alongside Stein and Hassan Abdel Salam, the founder of Abandon Harris.
According to Sawant, a Socialist and former member of the Seattle City Council, although the White House may not be within our reach, we have a genuine chance to achieve something remarkable.
Specifically, we could prevent Kamala Harris from winning the state of Michigan, which is crucial for her overall election prospects. Sawant highlights that the polls indicate Harris is unlikely to secure victory without Michigan.
Opinion: Trump and Vance appear to be quite displeased with the practice of fact-checking. Perhaps they should consider being more truthful?
It was a pivotal moment for Stein’s campaign when the truth was boldly spoken. If Stein is unable to secure victory but manages to contribute to Harris’s defeat, then the question arises: who will assume the presidency? The unequivocal answer is none other than Trump.
According to the RealClearPolitics polling average, Harris holds a slim lead of 1.8 percentage points over Trump in Michigan, with Stein trailing behind at 1.3%.
Stein, who spoke after Sawant, attempted to address the issue by suggesting, rather improbably, that she could secure victory in the race. She pointed out that approximately one-third of eligible voters did not cast their ballot in 2020. Stein pondered aloud what would happen if all these nonvoters suddenly became supporters of her campaign.
Stein chuckled slightly and expressed her disbelief at the idea that they would not be going to the White House. She hinted that she understood the unlikelihood of this scenario, but left room for the possibility.
Harris is ‘in trouble’ in Michigan. Will it matter?
According to a recent poll conducted by the Arab American Institute, the Biden administration’s approach to the Gaza crisis has had a significant impact on Arab American voters’ support for Democrats. The poll revealed that the longstanding 2-to-1 support for Democrats among Arab Americans has now reached a tie, with 42% supporting Harris and 41% supporting Trump.
According to Zogby, the troubles that she is facing in Michigan are not due to Abandon Biden, but rather because Democrats have neglected Arab Americans by ceasing to communicate with them.
Zogby, along with other Harris supporters, encouraged her to include a Palestinian American speaker at the Democratic National Convention in August. Unfortunately, this suggestion was not implemented, leading to a protest by a group of delegates from the “uncommitted” movement outside the convention. These delegates had previously withheld their votes in the primaries.
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According to Zogby, there is a chance for Harris to win back the support of Arab American voters. However, in order to do so, she needs to address their concerns with concrete solutions. With the election just a month away, it is crucial for her to take action soon and in a visible manner that will attract attention.
John Zogby, a supporter of the Harris campaign, expressed his desire for her to win and for her to take action to show that she values their support. He emphasized that simply asking for the Arab American vote in Michigan is not enough; efforts must be made to earn it.
I reached out to the Harris campaign and the Democratic National Committee this week to get their perspective on Abandon Harris and the Stein endorsement. However, they opted to stay silent on this matter, much like they have with other aspects of the issue.
Recent history has shown that relying on a squeaker of a race may not be a winning strategy.
