Pro-Palestinian activists and Michigan voters have voiced their dissatisfaction with Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 election, particularly due to her stance on the Gaza conflict.
The Washington Examiner reported that many voters, frustrated by her policies and her connections to figures like Liz Cheney, shifted their support to President-elect Donald Trump, whose promises to end the war resonated with those seeking peace in the region.
A growing number of pro-Palestinian activists and voters in Michigan turned away from Harris and the Democratic ticket on Election Day.
Their decision was largely influenced by her support for U.S. actions in the Gaza conflict, which has been a point of contention for many Arab-American and Muslim voters.
Activists like Layla Elabed, co-founder of Uncommitted, noted that Trump’s vow to end the war appealed to those frustrated by Harris’s alignment with the donor class and figures like former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney.
Elabed argued that Harris’s decisions, particularly her association with Cheney, had alienated voters in Michigan’s working-class communities, like those in Dearborn, a city with a large Arab-American population.
Harris’s campaign sought Cheney’s endorsement, and the two held a panel discussion in Michigan shortly before the election, which was met with backlash from the pro-Palestinian community. Cheney, known for her staunch support of military interventions, is seen by anti-war activists as a symbol of the military-industrial complex, further deepening dissatisfaction with Harris among these voters.
Farah Khan, co-chairwoman of Michigan’s Abandon Harris campaign, explained that Trump’s message of peace resonated with voters who felt overlooked by Harris.
Khan described how Trump took the time to engage with Muslim voters, pledging to end the war in Gaza and offering a platform for their concerns. This approach, despite criticism of his policies, proved more appealing to many voters than Harris’s response, which included sending billions in weaponry to Israel while expressing sympathy for Gaza.
The dissatisfaction was particularly strong in Michigan’s Muslim-majority areas, where voters felt their concerns about U.S. policy in Gaza were not being addressed.
According to Khan, Harris’s words of sympathy were hollow when followed by actions that continued U.S. support for the conflict. "She says, 'Oh, yeah, I feel bad,' and the next day, they send billions of dollars again in weapons," Khan said, criticizing Harris for what she viewed as empty gestures.
Trump’s engagement with Michigan’s Arab-American community was a key factor in his surprising gains in the state.
Despite not having policies directly targeting their interests, Trump’s visits to communities like Dearborn—where Harris had never made an appearance—showed voters that he was willing to listen. Elabed noted that Harris’s absence from Dearborn, the first Arab-American city in the U.S., left many voters feeling abandoned.
During his campaign, Trump sought to align himself with anti-war figures like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, positioning himself as a peace candidate.
This strategic move helped him gain traction among voters who were increasingly disillusioned with Harris’s hawkish stance. Even Michigan’s Mayor of Hamtramck, Amer Ghalib, a prominent member of the Arab-American community, made a surprising endorsement of Trump, signaling a shift in support among traditionally Democratic voters.
The shift in support for Trump in Michigan is significant, as it represents a turning point in the state’s electoral history. Michigan, once a key battleground that helped Biden secure the presidency in 2020, saw a red wave in 2024, fueled by disillusionment with Harris and the Democratic Party’s handling of the Gaza conflict.
Trump’s message of peace, combined with his willingness to engage with the Arab-American community, resonated with a large portion of Michigan’s electorate, leading to a decisive shift in the state’s political landscape.
Trump’s ability to connect with voters who felt abandoned by Harris and the Democrats is likely to have a lasting impact on future elections. His strategic focus on anti-war rhetoric and outreach to Muslim and Arab-American communities has reshaped his image among some key voter groups.
While Trump’s policies may not directly align with the interests of these communities, his willingness to engage with them and promise peace in the Middle East has helped him build a strong base of support in crucial battleground states like Michigan.
