Muslim Americans in swing states launch anti-Biden campaign: Axios
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A senior White House official tells Axios that the White House recently met with Arab American leaders to hear their thoughts, and those conversations are ongoing.
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US President Joe Biden in "Tel Aviv" on October 18, 2023 (AFP)
Muslim Americans from numerous swing states are expected to assemble in Michigan on Saturday to launch the #AbandonBiden campaign in response to his handling of the war on Gaza.
Leaders from Michigan, Minnesota, Arizona, Wisconsin, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, and Pennsylvania are set to convene to kick off the campaign.
US swing states have significant Arab American and Muslim-American populations.
In a statement, the group expressed that the campaign will work to "guarantee Biden's loss in the 2024 election," explaining that the #AbandonBiden 2024 conference will withdraw support for Biden due to his "unwillingness to call for a ceasefire and protect innocents in Palestine and 'Israel'."
Jaylani Hussein of Minneapolis told Axios that the campaign will mostly center on social media, adding that while Muslim leaders realize not electing Biden would mean a possible second term for Trump, it would also allow a chance to "recalibrate", and Democrats "will have to consider whether they want our votes or not."
A senior White House official told Axios this week that the White House recently met with Arab American leaders to hear their thoughts, and those conversations are ongoing.
There are no accurate figures on how many people are registered to vote — but even small adjustments in support in any of the super-tight states that Biden won in 2020 might be significant.
According to the Pew Research Center, Muslim Americans amount to nearly 3.45 million, and an Axios analysis of 2020 outcomes in five key states indicated that if even a fragment of the Arab American and Muslim American vote refrained or defected to Republicans, Biden might suffer hefty losses.
In 2020, Biden won by 154,000 votes in Michigan, and census estimates show there are 278,000 Arab Americans in the state.
Biden received 10,500 votes in Arizona where the Arab American population is estimated at 60,000.
According to the Arab American Institute's polls, around 59% of Arab American voters favored Biden in 2020, although that proportion has plummeted substantially in recent weeks.
Biden losing Muslim votes for 2024 for supporting Gaza Genocide: CAIR
Last month, Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), told Anadolu that Muslim voters would not support US President Joe Biden in the upcoming presidential election because he betrayed Palestinians and permitted the Israeli genocide in Gaza.
In an interview, Awad claimed that Biden "ignored" Muslims in Gaza, and as a result, they would disregard him at the polls the next year.
Anadolu quoted Awad as saying that Biden was told "if you do not call for an immediate cease-fire [in Gaza], you will not get our votes in 2024," adding that there was "no possibility" of receiving any support from Biden.
According to the report, Awad charged that the Biden administration completely violated the equality, dignity, and human rights of Palestinians in particular.
Awad called Biden's support for "Israel" "completely one-sided" and emphasized that the US has provided the Israelis with a "carte blanche to use excessive force against civilians."
