Political scene is heating as the 2024 U.S. election gets ready

Particularly in important battleground states like Michigan, the political scene is heating as the 2024 U.S. election gets ready. Aiming to influence voters in a state where Arab American voters, especially offended by U.S. backing for Israel, may play a pivotal role in the close race, both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are scheduled to address rallies on the same day.

Vice President Kamala Harris has to strike a careful equilibrium. She supports President Biden's relentless backing of Israel, on one hand, which has garnered growing condemnation from Muslim and Arab American voters given the escalating civilian death toll in Gaza. Harris regarded the murder of Hamas commander Yahya Sinwar as a chance for a truce in Gaza, but it instead heightened tensions as Israel swiftly made clear that Sinwar's death was not the end of their military campaign.

For Harris, who must mobilize support in areas strongly dubious of U.S. Middle Eastern foreign policy, this is a hazardous time. A substantial and politically active group, Arab American voters in Michigan are complaining about Biden's actions and charging the government of funding what they characterize as "ethnic cleansing" in Gaza using public money. Harris especially in a campaign when every vote counts finds great difficulty from this voter discontent.

Reflecting a larger sense of discontent in the society, one such voter, Marwan Faraj, a Lebanese immigrant and Biden backer in the 2020 race, has since stopped supporting Harris. Although Harris's campaign has been trying to persuade people that her government is the best possibility for stability and peace, not everyone finds resonance in her message. Though they caution that a Trump administration may bring even worse consequences for people worried about U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, activist organizations like the Uncommitted movement have been critical of her posture. Concurrently, fringe organizations like as Abandon Harris have publicly supported Green Party nominee Jill Stein, therefore possibly distorting important votes away from Harris in this swing state.

While Donald Trump has also targeted Michigan, where his campaign is emphasizing the financial hardships experienced by working families—especially those in the automotive sector—he has also set sights on Under the Biden-Harris presidency, inflation and job losses call for Trump to rely more on his economic pitch to appeal to hesitant voters. Although Trump has not commented on Sinwar's passing, he has regularly backed Israel's military effort since the strike on October 7, 2023, therefore aligning his message with the general Republican Party attitude.

Both contenders are trying to grab the elusive, small number of undecided voters in a state that might swing the result either way. The election is still fiercely contested even if Harris is barely leading in national surveys; Michigan's Arab American voters may be the turning factor. The discontent about U.S. foreign policy, especially its posture on Israel and Gaza, is likely to be a major factor influencing this election's conclusion; thus, the state's outcome is anything from definite.