Kamala Harris’ campaign for US president has hired an Egyptian American lawyer and former Department of Homeland Security official to help lead outreach to Arab American voters who hold sway in some states that could help decide the November 5 election, the campaign said on Wednesday.
Brenda Abdelall would be tasked with shoring up support from a community frustrated with US support for Israel’s war in Gaza. Vice-President Harris, a Democrat, has already hired Afghan American lawyer Nasrina Bargzie for outreach to Muslim Americans.
Harris is in a tight race with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Votes from Muslim and Arab Americans could help decide the outcome in battleground states like Michigan, which has seen street protests over the Israel-Gaza war.
US President Joe Biden won a large share of the Arab and Muslim vote in 2020, but his support for Israel despite the huge death toll in Gaza has frustrated many community members. They launched an “uncommitted” campaign against him in the Democratic nominating contests.
Michigan, where Harris is due to visit next week, is home to one of the largest Muslim and Arab American populations in the United States. More than 100,000 voters cast their ballot “uncommitted” instead of Biden, who stepped aside as candidate on July 21, in the state’s primary.
Some activists say they hold Harris responsible for the Biden administration’s Israel policy and the crisis in Gaza.
Following last week’s Democratic convention, pro-Palestinian activists said Harris had failed to demonstrate any break from the status quo.
While pro-Palestinian voices are not expected to vote for Trump and have indicated no support for the Republican, some activists have launched a campaign called “Abandon Harris” and have urged their supporters to back third-party candidates.
Abdelall, Harris’ pick for Arab American outreach, most recently served as senior counsellor to the Department of Homeland Security’s secretary. She joined the agency in January, 2021, shortly after Trump left office, to be chief of staff for the department’s civil rights office.
Abdelall, who grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, previously ran a food blog and website focused on Middle Eastern cuisine. She has taught Middle Eastern cooking classes at a culinary school in northern Virginia.