- Looking ahead to the Democratic National Convention, some Democrats remain concerned about a possible lack of support from “undecided” voters angered by U.S. support for Israel’s offensive in Gaza.
- It’s unclear how much influence the “undecided” movement has after enthusiasm for Harris’ campaign surged compared to Biden’s, making voter apathy less of a threat. Still, Harris and her team have prioritized communicating with Arab-American leaders.
- The Trump campaign continues its own campaign for Arab-Americans by highlighting the situation in Gaza under Biden’s administration, with Trump’s team promising to give the community a seat at the negotiating table if he wins the election.
Of the thousands of delegates who will gather for the Democratic National Convention on Monday, only 36 belong to the “undecided” movement, which emerged from dissatisfaction with President Joe Biden’s handling of the war between Israel and Hamas.
But this small core has an outsized influence.
Discontent over US support for Israel’s offensive in Gaza could create unpleasant images for convention organizers, with loud protests expected outside and possibly inside the Chicago venue where Harris will accept her nomination on Thursday.
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Democratic leaders have spent weeks meeting with “undecided” voters and their allies – including a previously unreported meeting between Vice President Kamala Harris and the mayor of Dearborn, Michigan – to respond to criticism in key swing states like Michigan, which has a large Arab-American population.
Months of meetings and phone calls between pro-Palestinian activists and the Harris campaign team have reached a virtual impasse. The activists want Harris to support an arms embargo against Israel and a permanent ceasefire. Harris supports Biden’s negotiations for a ceasefire but opposes an arms embargo.
Rima Mohammad, one of the two “undecided” delegates from Michigan, said she sees the convention as an opportunity to share her movement’s concerns with party leadership.
“This is a way for protesters outside to express their frustration with the party,” she said.
Democratic National Convention unaffiliated delegate Abbas Alawieh answers questions during an interview on August 14, 2024 in Dearborn, Michigan. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
The Democratic candidate meets an important Arab-American mayor
The question remains as to what influence “undecided” voters will have after Biden steps down and Harris takes his place. Democrats have seen a significant increase in enthusiasm for Harris’ campaign, and concerns about voter fatigue in key areas, such as Detroit’s large black population, appear to have subsided.
But Harris and her team continue to place great importance on communicating with Arab-American leaders.
During a campaign trip to Michigan last week, Harris met with Abdullah Hammoud, the 34-year-old mayor of Dearborn, a Detroit suburb where most Arabs live. The meeting was disclosed by a person who was not authorized to speak publicly about it and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The person familiar with the meeting did not provide specific details but said the focus was on Harris’s potential policy on the Israel-Hamas conflict if she is elected. Hammoud declined to comment.
“Vice President Harris supports the agreements currently on the table for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages,” her campaign said in a statement. “She will continue to meet with leaders of the Palestinian, Muslim, Israeli and Jewish communities, as she has throughout her term as Vice President.”
Campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez held separate one-on-one meetings Thursday with leaders of the Arab-American community and the uncommitted movement in the Detroit area.
“They listen and we talk,” said Osama Siblani, editor of The Arab American News, who met with Chavez Rodriguez. “But none of us can win votes in the community without Harris speaking out publicly. She doesn’t need us; she can win votes by saying and doing the right thing.”
According to Siblani, Chavez agreed with Rodriguez that “the killing must stop.” He then pressed, “What? There is no plan.”
Lavora Barnes, chairwoman of the Michigan Democrats, said the party would “continue to work toward our goal of working together to defeat Donald Trump and Republicans across the ballot.”
“We are committed to continuing these conversations with community leaders, activists and organizations because we want to ensure everyone in the Michigan Democratic Party has a seat at the table,” Barnes said in a statement.
No agreement on an arms embargo
Some on the left of the Democratic Party have called for a moratorium on Israel’s use of U.S. weapons to be included in the policy agenda to be adopted at the party’s convention next week. But such language is not included in the draft platform that party officials released earlier this summer, and it is unlikely that those close to Harris’s campaign would support such an inclusion.
The Uncommitted National Movement has also requested a speaking slot for a doctor who has worked on the Gaza front lines and a leader of the movement. And they have requested a meeting with Harris “to discuss updating Gaza policy in the hope of stopping the flow of unconditional weapons and bombs” to Israel, said Abbas Alawieh, another uncommitted delegate from Michigan and one of the movement’s founders.
Before a Harris rally near Detroit last week, Alawieh and Layla Elabed, co-founders of the movement, met briefly with the vice president. They requested a formal meeting with Harris and urged her to support an embargo on arms shipments to Israel. Harris seemed open to the idea of a meeting, they said.
Shortly after news of the meeting broke, however, Harris’ national security adviser Phil Gordon reiterated that she does not support an arms embargo. Alawieh noted Wednesday that the group had not received any further response from Harris’ team or the DNC to its inquiries ahead of the convention.
“I hope she does not miss the chance to unite the party,” Alawieh said.
Trump’s campaign team continues its activities
Elsewhere in Detroit this week, Massad Boulos, the father-in-law of Trump’s youngest daughter and now a leader in his Arab-American mission, held meetings with various community groups. Boulos has often come to Michigan for the mission, along with Arab Americans for Trump’s chairwoman Bishara Bahbah.
According to Bahbah, her pitch sheds light on the situation in Gaza under Biden’s administration and a promise by Trump’s team to give the community a seat at the negotiating table if he wins the election.
“We were told by those in the Trump circle, who are not part of the campaign, that in exchange for our votes, we would get a seat at the table and a voice that would be heard,” Bahbah said.
But any political opportunity Trump has in the Arab-American community or the Undecided movement could be limited by his past statements and policies.
Many Arabs remain offended by Trump’s immigration ban from several Muslim-majority countries during his time in office, as well as by his comments that they find offensive. Trump has also criticized Biden for not supporting Israel strongly enough.
In a speech to an audience of Jewish supporters on Thursday, Trump portrayed the protesters expected in Chicago as anti-Semitic, using an Arabic term sometimes used by Muslims to mean war or fighting.
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“There will be no jihad in America under Trump,” he said.
But Bahbah admits that his and Boulos’ strategy is not necessarily aimed at winning voters for Trump, but rather at discouraging them from voting for Harris.
“If I can’t convince people to vote for Trump, it’s better to let them stay home,” Bahbah said.
