Kamala Harris received at least 22,000 fewer votes than Joe Biden did in 2020 in Michigan's most heavily Arab American and Muslim cities, according to a Guardian analysis of raw vote data. The drop in Democratic support in Hamtramck, Dearborn and Dearborn Heights represents nearly 27% of the 81,000-vote difference between Harris and Donald Trump in the state.
Trump made small gains of about 9,000 votes across those areas, suggesting Harris's loss is more attributable to Arab Americans either not voting or casting ballots for third-party candidates. In Dearborn, which is nearly 60% Arab American, Biden received about 31,000 votes in 2020, while Harris received just over 15,000. Trump received about 18,000 votes, up from 13,000, while Jill Stein picked up about 7,600 votes.
Statewide, third-party candidates Stein and Cornel West combined for about 50,000 votes. Nationwide, an exit poll by the Council on American Islamic Relations found 53% of Muslim Americans voted for Stein, 21% for Trump and 20.3% for Harris. The Arab American Institute found a combined drop in Democratic support across seven precincts with significant Arab American or Muslim populations, from about 4,900 votes in 2020 to 3,400 this election.
Representative Rashida Tlaib, a vocal critic of US-Israel policy, received more than 24,000 votes in Dearborn, doubling Harris's total. In Hamtramck, Biden received about 6,500 votes in 2020, while Harris dropped to 3,200. Trump's vote total increased by about 2,000, while Stein received just over 600 votes.
Muslims for Trump founder Rabiul Chowdhury said Arab American and Muslim voters who defected made a 'key difference' across upper midwest swing states. 'Everyone's ultimate goal was to punish Harris and the best way to do this was to vote for Trump,' he said. The Biden administration's Gaza policy was viewed as a major liability for Harris in Michigan, though she also underperformed across multiple demographics and inflation was a top issue.
