[Craig Nigrelli]
FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP HEADS TO MICHIGAN LATER FRIDAY. HE WILL RALLY WITH SUPPORTERS IN TRAVERSE CITY.
MICHIGAN IS ONE OF THE SEVEN BATTLEGROUND STATES WHERE PUNDITS BELIEVE THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE WILL BE DECIDED. IT HAS 15 ELECTORAL VOTES.
MICHIGAN IS HOME TO A VERY LARGE ARAB AND MIDDLE EASTERN POPULATION, MORE THAN 300,000 PEOPLE ACCORDING TO RECENT CENSUS DATA, INCLUDING IN DEARBORN WHERE ARAB-AMERICANS ARE NOW A MAJORITY.
A POLL, OUT THIS WEEK, FROM ARAB NEWS AND YOU GOV, FOUND FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP WITH A SLIGHT LEAD OVER VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS AMONG ARAB-AMERICANS 45 % TO 43 %. THE WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST BEING A MAJOR ISSUE.
THE POLL FOUND THAT 39% OF RESPONDENTS BELIEVE TRUMP WOULD BE ABLE TO SOLVE THE WAR BETWEEN ISRAEL AND HAMAS, 33% SAID HARRIS COULD SOLVE IT. HOWEVER, SURVEY PARTICIPANTS SEE TRUMP AS MORE SUPPORTIVE OF ISRAEL WHILE VIEWING HARRIS AS MORE SENSITIVE TO ARAB-AMERICANS.
Edward Ahmed Mitchell, a board member of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Action, says HARRIS’S RELUCTANCE TO SAY THAT SHE WOULD PUSH ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU TO AGREE TO A CEASE FIRE OR IMPOSE A WEAPONS EMBARGO ON ISRAEL HAS QUOTE “ LED TO A SITUATION IN WHICH IN A LARGE CHUNK OF THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY AND THE ARAB COMMUNITY AND OTHER COMMUNITIES ARE STILL HESITANT TO VOTE FOR HARRIS, DESPITE ALL THE ISSUES WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP. “
HARRIS AND HER CAMPAIGN REALIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF MICHIGAN. ACCORDING THE A-P, SHE HAS MADE NEARLY A DOZEN CAMPAIGN TRIPS TO THE STATE, SINCE BECOMING THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE THIS PAST SUMMER.
THE REAL CLEAR POLITICS AVERAGE IN MICHIGAN, SHOWS THE RACE IS A DEAD HEAT WITH DONALD TRUMP AHEAD BY THE SLIMMEST OF MARGINS 47.9% TO 47.7%.