Linda Sarsour: Harris's Embrace of Pro-Israel Policies at Odds with Democratic Base

Support our work

In the Arab American-majority city of Dearborn, Michigan, Donald Trump beat Kamala Harris by over six percentage points, with third-party candidate Jill Stein capturing nearly one-fifth of the vote. During the primary elections, a majority of Democratic voters in Dearborn selected "uncommitted" over then-presumptive nominee Joe Biden, citing disapproval of the president's handling of Israel's aggression in the Middle East. "Uncommitted" voters continued to press the Harris campaign to shift its Israel policy as the election went on, but were routinely ignored. Democrats "made a calculation that they did not need Arab American, Muslim American and Palestinian American voters," says Palestinian American organizer Linda Sarsour, who was in Dearborn on election night. We speak to Sarsour about the Harris campaign's failure to secure the support of a previously key part of the Democratic base. "We are going to be in big trouble, and I blame that solely on the Democratic Party and one of the worst campaigns I have seen in my 23 years in organizing."

Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on over 1,500 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream at democracynow.org Mondays to Fridays 8-9 a.m. ET.

Subscribe to our Daily Email Digest