From the Liveblog of
Thursday, November 2, 2023
Michigan Democrats warn Biden his support for Israel could cost him reelection
Democrats in Michigan are warning the White House that US President Joe Biden’s backing for Israel in the war with Hamas could cost him enough support within the Arab American community to sway the outcome of the 2024 election in a state he almost certainly can’t afford to lose in his bid for reelection.
The situation has prompted the White House to discuss ways to alleviate tensions with some of the state’s prominent Democrats, including several who have been vocal critics of the president about the war.
“The message has been relayed. We’ve had calls with the White House. We’ve had calls with DNC officials,” says Abraham Aiyash, the third-ranking Democrat in the state House of Representatives, referring to the Democratic National Committee. “We’ve been clear in saying the humanity should matter, but if that is not a calculation that you’re going to make in this moment, recognize that there will be electoral reverberations to this.”
Aiyash, the Democratic floor leader in the state House, says Arab American leaders who have spoken to the White House “are worried” about the implications for 2024 and have relayed those concerns to Biden. Other prominent Michigan Democrats have shared similar concerns.
“Certainly none of us want to see part two of a Trump disaster presidency. But we also are not going to just passively give Joe Biden a second term if our concerns are not even dignified through a response,” Aiyash says.
Michigan holds the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the US and over 310,000 residents are of Middle Eastern or North African ancestry. Many in the community are pledging to coalesce against Biden’s reelection campaign unless he calls for a ceasefire in the war.
He has been reluctant to do that, strongly emphasizing Israel’s right to defend itself after the Oct. 7 assault by Hamas that killed some 1,400 people in Israel, most of them civilians, and saw more than 240 taken as hostages to Gaza. He has also cast doubt on estimates provided by the Hamas terror group on the number of Palestinians who have died in the ensuing conflict.
