The Kamala Harris campaign for the U.S. presidency has employed the services of an Egyptian American lawyer and former Department of Homeland Security official to help with the outreach to Arab American voters as the November 5 election draws near.
Vice President Harris, a Democrat, has already hired an Afghan American lawyer, Nasrina Bargzie for outreach to Muslim Americans.
Harris is in a tight Presidential race with the seasoned Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump and the votes from Muslim and Arab Americans could help move the outcome in her favour, as regards battleground states like Michigan, which has seen street protests over the Israel-Gaza war.
In 2020, Joe Biden won a large share of the Arab and Muslim vote but with his recent support for Israel despite the massive death toll in Gaza has frustrated many community members who have launched an “uncommitted” campaign against him in the Democratic nominating contests.
Harris is due to visit Michigan next week. The State is home to one of the largest Muslim and Arab American populations in the United States. Over 100,000 voters had cast their ballot in the “uncommitted” option instead of for Biden, who stepped aside as candidate on July 21, in the state’s primary.
The pro-Palestinian voices are not expected to vote for Trump and they have shown no support for the Republican, however, some activists have launched a campaign called “Abandon Harris” and have campaigned for their supporters to support third-party candidates instead.
Abdelall, Harris’ hire for Arab American outreach had quite recently, served as a senior counselor to the Department of Homeland Security’s secretary.
Abdelall had joined the agency in January, 2021, a short while after Trump left office, to become chief of staff for the department’s civil rights office.
