Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib publicly refused to endorse Vice President Harris during a rally in Detroit — a critical decision that could tip the scales against Democrats in Michigan.
The move carries significant electoral implications, with Michigan part of the Democrats “blue wall” of must-win states in the 2024 presidential election.
A Trump triumph there would hamper Harris’ chances of winning the White House.
Tlaib, a member of the House’s far-left “Squad,” is upset with the Biden-Harris administration’s support for Israel.
The only Palestinian-American in Congress, she has been openly supportive of Hamas during her time in office and has been censured by her colleagues for defending Hamas and calling for the destruction of Israel.
Tlaib, one of the last major Democrats who has withheld her endorsement from the top of the ticket, steered clear of Harris-Walz during a United Auto Workers union rally on Friday and instead offered a general plea to get out the vote, the Detroit News reported.
“Don’t underestimate the power you all have,” she said. “More than those ads, those lawn signs, those billboards, you all have more power to turn out people that understand we’ve got to fight back against corporate greed in our country . . . We’ve got to make sure that the nonpartisan part of the ballot gets filled in.”
Tlaib was joined on stage by fellow squad member, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, along with UAW boss Shawn Fain, both of whom endorsed Harris and sang her praise.
In September Tlaib told far-left journalist Mehdi Hasan that when constituents came to her saying they could not support Harris she told them “there’s other people on this ballot that support a ceasefire. There’s other people on this ballot that can protect our community.”
Tlaib has not made any endorsement in the 2024 race so far, but far-left anti-war candidates like Jill Stein and Cornel West will appear on Michigan’s presidential ballot.
Michigan, which has a large and influential Muslim community, has been at the center of an uncommitted movement of voters who are refusing to back Harris because of Israel’s war in Gaza and their belief that she has been too supportive of the Jewish state while vice president.
About 57% of American Muslims said they believed Hamas “was justified in attacking Israel as part of their struggle for a Palestinian state,” according to a survey from Cygnal.
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