The Biden campaign is quietly holding meetings with Muslim communities in Michigan amid growing concern among his strategists that he is losing their support, according to sources.
Since the attack by Hamas on Israel in October last year, the Democratic Party has faced major internal divisions over Biden’s policy in the Middle East, where his administration has taken a supportive stance towards Israel’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
According to a report from Politico, Biden’s campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodríguez traveled to Michigan on Friday to meet with leaders from Michigan’s Arab and Palestinian-American communities.
The meetings are part of a strategy to shore up support for his administration’s foreign policy ahead of November’s presidential election, where Michigan is considered a key battleground state in the long race for the White House.
Politico notes:
The sessions reflect the continuation of a monthslong effort to meet with local Democratic officials across the nation to hear concerns and build enthusiasm for the reelection campaign.
But the trip to Michigan comes against the backdrop of deepening anger over Biden’s approach to Israel’s war against Hamas, which has driven a wedge between the White House and many of the Arab-American voters the president is counting on to deliver the battleground state in November.
However, several Arab-American and Muslim leaders declined the campaign’s invitation for a meeting, including Michigan state Rep. Alabas Farhat, a Democrat who represents the heavily Muslim area of Dearborn, a small city in the suburbs of Detroit.
Farhat told Politico:
I represent a community that’s actively hurting, When speaking to the community about this, it was a resounding no. Now is not the time for political conversations, now is the time for a ceasefire, and then we can talk.
The report also revealed that “gatherings were meant to address a range of issues facing various minority communities,” indicating that the Biden campaign may have little to offer Muslim voters concerning any serious shift in foreign policy.
Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Biden’s problem extends well beyond Michigan. Senior aides are said to be “increasingly worried that his support for Israel’s war in Gaza risks damaging his re-election prospects amid cratering support from young voters.”
The Journal reported:
Biden advisers are divided on the seriousness of the political threat. Some see a real risk that disillusioned young voters will stay home because of the Israel issue and other concerns about the president. Other aides are confident that most of those voters will end up giving priority to other issues above Israel and that they will vote for Biden rather than risk another Trump administration.
Just this week, a Biden campaign rally aimed at promoting the right to abortion was repeatedly interrupted by protesters angry over his handling of the conflict.
In November, a poll from NBC News found that just 34 percent of voters approved of Biden’s handling of the ongoing conflict, with 56 percent disapproving. Opposition was lower among those under the age of 35, with around 70 percent expressing disapproval of his current stance.
