Trump Wins Dearborn, the ‘Capital’ of Arab America, in Political Upset in Michigan

President Trump’s victory in the 2024 election was partly aided by one unlikely voting bloc: Arab American voters. Democrats’ concerns about discontent among Arab Americans over Israel’s war against Hamas appeared to come to fruition on Election Day.The suburbs around Detroit, including Dearborn, are home to one of the largest concentrations of Arab Americans. And Trump won Dearborn, which has been labeled the “capital” of Arab America. As of Wednesday morning, Trump received around 42 percent of the vote at Dearborn, while Vice President Harris received 36 percent. The third-party candidate, Jill Stein, who is staunchly anti-Israel, garnered 18 percent of the vote. Democrats were concerned Ms. Stein’s left-wing candidacy might peel off Arab American voters from Ms. Harris in an election that polls showed was razor-thin. The voting bloc was seen as a potentially deciding factor in the key state of Michigan. While Trump likely still would have won Michigan even if Ms. Stein dropped out and all of those votes went to the vice president, she appears to have siphoned off some of the vote at Dearborn.In 2020, President Biden won 68.8 percent of the vote at Dearborn, while Trump received 29.9 percent. Arab Americans telegraphed for months ahead of the election that they were displeased with Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris for their support of Israel’s war against Hamas. During the 2024 presidential primary, pro-Palestinian voters mobilized a “noncommitted” campaign to protest Mr. Biden’s support for Israel. In Michigan, more than 100,000 Democratic primary voters registered their protest by voting “uncommitted” instead of for the 46th president. The organizers of the protest movement said in September they would not endorse Ms. Harris due to her “unwillingness to shift on unconditional weapons policy” for Israel. However, their anger at Democrats did not mean they were ready to embrace Trump, who has hinted he would not try to restrain Israel’s actions as much as the Biden administration. And the protest movement explicitly stated it would not endorse him.Amid the frustration with both parties, multiple news stories and polls painted a picture of a community divided over how to vote in a campaign with two candidates they disapproved of.In the closing days of the election, there were some indications that a sizable portion of the Arab American community might vote for Trump. A poll conducted by the Arab News Research and Studies Unit and YouGov released on October 22 found that Trump received 43 percent support to Ms. Harris’ 41 percent. The survey also found more respondents said they believed Trump would resolve the Israel-Hamas conflict than the vice president. That poll was seen as a potential warning sign for Democrats’ chances in Michigan.Trump also received endorsements from the mayors of two Arab American majority cities. The mayor of Hamtramck, Michigan, Amer Ghalib, endorsed Trump. Hamtramck was one of two cities where Mr. Biden won fewer votes than “uncommitted” in the primary. The other city where that happened was Dearborn.Trump also received the endorsement of the Muslim mayor of Dearborn Heights, Bill Bazzi. He told Politico he decided to endorse the 45th president because: “Under Biden, there’s wars that were started, major wars under his administration. Wars that can lead us to World War III. Our economy is really bad at this point. I talked to a resident yesterday as she was putting her ballot in a box, and she told me she can’t afford basic necessities.”Mr. Bazzi also said Trump is “committed to bringing peace and stability and peace diplomacy and also ending the war” in Gaza. Trump also made news on November 1 when he became the first major 2024 presidential candidate to visit Dearborn.Arab Americans were not the only group in which he saw his support increase. Black, Asian, and Hispanic voters also turned out for him in larger numbers than in 2020. And, despite ads reminding women their votes are secret in a bid to encourage them to vote for Ms. Harris, Trump also saw his share of women voters increase from four years ago.

Trump Wins Dearborn, the ‘Capital’ of Arab America, in Political Upset in Michigan

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