Voters in these areas, disillusioned with the Biden administration’s handling of Israel's brutal war in Gaza, have essentially turned away from Harris. This development could have wide-reaching implications in the crucial swing state.

Harris's campaign struggled to address the growing dissatisfaction within Michigan’s Arab and Muslim communities, especially after the Biden administration’s strong backing of Tel Aviv during the ongoing war. The Israeli war killed over 43,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and injured more than 102,000.

The war also displaced almost the entire 2.3 million residents of the Gaza Strip.

This has led to a marked shift in voter loyalty. In Dearborn, where Joe Biden won by a 3-to-1 margin in 2020, Trump now leads with 46.8 percent of the vote, a dramatic swing from his previous performance. 

Harris, by contrast, received only 27.8 percent in the city, with third-party candidate Jill Stein garnering 22 percent.

Campaigning in Michigan, Harris attempted to connect with disgruntled voters, emphasizing her commitment to ending the war in Gaza and securing both Israeli and Palestinian rights. However, her remarks, which lacked specific policy proposals, failed to quell the growing frustration. 

In a rally in East Lansing, she declared, "As president, I will do everything in my power to end the war in Gaza and ensure the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, freedom, security, and self-determination." 

Critics, however, pointed out her administration’s support for Israel, which they view as exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.

The loss of support among Michigan’s Arab and Muslim voters is compounded by the failure of Harris’s campaign to address the community’s concerns effectively.

Voters wait in line at the Dearborn Christian Fellowship Pre-School to cast their ballots. AFP

The Democratic National Convention in August did not include an Arab or Muslim speaker, and the party's outreach efforts, including rallies and online campaigns, were insufficient to mitigate the damage. 

The choice to send former President Bill Clinton to Michigan, where he controversially stated that Israel was "forced" by Hamas to kill civilians in Gaza, only further alienated voters.

Meanwhile, support for Trump surged in Dearborn, aided by endorsements from influential local figures, such as the mayor of Hamtramck, a Muslim-majority city. 

While Harris faced losses in Michigan’s Arab American and Muslim-majority areas, Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, a vocal critic of the war, secured a fourth term in Michigan’s 12th congressional district, underscoring the divide within the community. 

Tlaib, who had declined to endorse Harris’s presidential bid, remains a staunch advocate for Palestinian rights, further highlighting the tensions within the party.

She triumphed with 77 percent of the vote, securing a fourth term in office. 

Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American woman in the US Congress, faced off against Republican James Hooper, who earned just 19 percent of the vote.