DEARBORN — Arabic signs abound alongside English ones along Warren Avenue, a major shopping street in Dearborn, Michigan. Lebanese bakeries and Iraqi kebab shops, Yemeni cafés and Mediterranean restaurants line both sides of the street in this affluent suburb of Detroit, the largest majority-Arab city in the United States.
Israel’s war in Gaza, which has persisted for more than a year, along with its recent expansion into Lebanon, resonates deeply here, where many immigrants from the Palestinian territories have settled over generations.
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The Biden administration’s unconditional support for Israel’s military actions is felt as a betrayal in a city that typically leans Democratic. Donald Trump has thus sensed an opportunity, frequently appearing alongside members of the community, including the Yemeni-born mayor of nearby Hamtramck, Amer Ghalib.
In Dearborn, the situation in the Middle East is on everyone’s mind. “We have a choice between worse and even worse,” says one local resident, summarizing the presidential election for many of his neighbors. For this local voter, who has recently started selling flags and T-shirts featuring the Lebanese cedar from his car to support those affected by the conflict, he seems resigned to voting for Kamala Harris. Yet others are more ambivalent, even openly hostile towards the Democratic candidate.
Growing discontent
Abed Hammoud, founder of the Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC), is among those expressing discontent. Having left Lebanon in the early 1990s, he settled in Dearborn after studying in Auvergne, France.
I am disappointed with my party.
“I have family, friends, and colleagues in Lebanon; my wife’s family is there. Every morning we pray and wait for news,” he said.
Although a lifelong Democrat, he now feels disgusted by the Biden administration’s unwavering support for Israel and, by extension, Kamala Harris‘ bond with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I am disappointed with my party,” he says, citing a feeling of “betrayal”.
Kamala Harris did not go to Dearborn, she did not respond to the demands of the “Uncommitted” movement, even the most innocuous requests such as giving the floor to an American of Palestinian origin during the Democratic Convention this summer in Chicago. When she was interrupted in early August at a meeting in Michigan by anti-war activists, she told them: “if you want Donald Trump to win, keep going”.
Democrats at risk
“They think they can do without our votes; we’ll see,” insists Hammoud, determined to “teach them a lesson.” He plans to mobilize the AAPAC, which has historically supported Democratic candidates, against Harris.
In 2020, the committee sent over 50,000 letters and mobilized dozens of volunteers to encourage the community to vote. Regarding Donald Trump, Hammoud expresses uncertainty: “I don’t know what he can do; we know what Kamala Harris is,” he says, noting that the “Muslim ban” of Trump’s administration pales in comparison to the ongoing violence.
The Palestinian conflict threatens to unravel years of good relations between the Arab community and the Democratic Party. The mayor of Dearborn, the district’s congressional representative, and many local judges and officials come from the community and have campaigned as Democrats. The Arab American News recently explained that this political realignment recalls the historical evolution of Arab and Muslim Americans, who leaned Republican but were “pushed” toward the Democrats after former President George W. Bush declared a “war on terror” following the September 11 attacks.
The growing divide between Arab American voters and the Democratic Party poses serious challenges for Harris. In Michigan, one of the key swing states, the Arab community—numbering nearly 400,000, including nearly 80,000 of Lebanese origin — could be decisive. The state voted for Donald Trump in 2016 but returned to the Democratic fold in 2020. This year, the election is expected to be extremely close, with Harris holding a slim lead in the polls.
Green Party rising
While Arab Americans have voted for the Democratic Party at a 2-to-1 ratio for more than a decade, they are now evenly split between Harris and Trump, with a slight advantage for the Republican candidate at 43% to 41%, according to a recent YouGov poll for Arab News.
Many people have family there, and they judge what is happening on the ground.
Some voters are leaning toward Green Party candidate Jill Stein, who has visited Dearborn four times. In 2016, Stein garnered 50,000 votes in Michigan, far exceeding the 10,000-vote margin between Trump and Hillary Clinton. The Green Party is taking this threat seriously, launching an advertising campaign in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.
Locally, Democrats are sounding the alarm. “This is a real problem; it is very hard to convince people to vote Democratic right now,” acknowledges Sami Khaldi, president of the Dearborn Democratic Club. His optimism from early September has dimmed, particularly with Israel’s war extending into Lebanon. “Many people have family there, and they judge what is happening on the ground.”
The involvement of former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney, campaigning alongside Kamala Harris, is unlikely to ease tensions among these voters. She is the daughter of Bush’s Vice President Dick Cheney, and one of the architects of the war in Iraq. Supporters of Donald Trump have even displayed her face next to that of the Democratic candidate on large billboards.
While Khaldi remains convinced that Harris is still the best choice for the community, he acknowledges that she has not been sufficiently attentive to their demands. “Our voice should matter.”
