WASHINGTON: The US Muslim advocacy group Emgage Action endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris despite its ongoing concern over the war in Gaza, saying former President Donald Trump posed a greater danger with his promise to reinstate travel restrictions affecting majority-Muslim countries.
The endorsement comes as the 2024 race between Harris and Trump remains very tight ahead of the November 5 election. Arab American and Muslim voters may play a decisive role in the outcome in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia and other battleground states. These voters helped President Joe Biden defeat Trump in 2020 by thousands of votes.
Many Muslim groups, including Emgage Action, have criticized the Biden administration, where Harris serves as vice president, for its support of Israel’s war in Gaza
“While we do not agree with all of Harris’ policies, particularly on the war on Gaza, we are approaching this election with both pragmatism and conviction,” Emgage CEO Wa’el Alzayat said in a statement, adding it sought to provide “honest guidance to our voters regarding the difficult choice they confront at the ballot box.”
Emgage Action, which endorsed Biden in 2020, said it mobilized 1 million Muslim voters in that election. The group said the Harris endorsement reflects a “responsibility to defeat Trump and defend the community against what would be a return to Islamophobic and other harmful policies.”
Trump’s campaign had no immediate comment. His campaign has held dozens of events with Arab Americans and Muslims in swing states.
Trump has said he will reinstate the “travel ban” that restricts entry into the United States of people from a list of largely Muslim-dominant countries. Biden rolled back the ban shortly after taking office in 2021.
Asian Americans to vote for Harris
Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) and AAPI Data released the findings from a survey of Asian American and Pacific Islander adults, after Harris became the Democratic nominee.
The poll, conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago, shows a dramatic increase in support for the Democratic presidential ticket among Asian American voters since the release of the organizations’ bi-annual Asian American Voter Survey in July.
Key findings among Asian American registered voters include: * Harris leads Trump by 38 percentage points. Sixty six per cent of Asian American voter’s plan on voting for Vice President Harris, compared to 28 per cent who say they back Trump. Those who say they will support another candidate or are undecided account for 6 per cent. Harris’s identity as woman more important than being Asian Indian or South Asian.
Thirty eight per cent of Asian American voters say Harris’ identity as a woman is “extremely” or “very” important to them, compared to 27 per cent who say the same about her identity as an Asian Indian or South Asian. Asian Americans have been a rapidly growing group of eligible voters in the U. over the past two decades, growing by 15 per cent in the last four years alone and turning out in record numbers in every federal election since 2016. In 2020, a surge in Asian American voters – especially those voting for the very first time – in battleground states was crucial to Biden’s victory.
Sixty-two per cent of Asian American voters say they have a favorable opinion of Kamala Harris, compared to 35 per cent who have an unfavorable opinion of the Vice President. In the 2024 AAVS, conducted in April-May, 44 per cent had a favorable view of Harris and 42 per cent unfavorable. Twenty eight per cent of Asian American voters have a favorable opinion of Donald Trump, compared to 70 per cent who have an unfavorable opinion of the former President.
