Harris, Trump and running mates visit Michigan in final days of campaigning

WASHINGTON (TNND) — Democrats are counting on what's known as "the blue wall" states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania to deliver them another presidential victory next week. In Michigan in particular, they're still working to win over voters in their own party.

The state is home to large populations of Arab American and Muslim voters who've been a key part of the Democratic base in recent elections. This year, Vice President Kamala Harris' support for Israel has pushed many of them away.

Their frustration has been on display in protests at her rallies, like one in Ann Arbor on Monday.

And listen, hey, on the subject of Gaza, hey guys I hear you," Harris said when protesters interrupted her remarks. "On the subject of Gaza, we all want this war to end as soon as possible and get the hostages out and I will do everything in my power to make it so.”

Harris needs every Michigan vote she can get. In 2020, President Joe Biden won the state by about 154,000 votes. In 2016, former President Donald Trump won by fewer than 11,000 voters–that's about two voters per precinct.

The race is close, recent polls show Harris either has a low single-digit lead or is tied with Trump.

On Friday, Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz held a rally in Detroit while Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance held a rally in the southwest Michigan city of Portage. Trump visited Dearborn, the largest Arab-majority city in the country, before holding a rally in Warren, just north of Detroit. Harris will make stops throughout the state over the weekend.

The Harris-Walz campaign isn't concerned that Arab American and Muslim voters will support Trump; their fear is they'll vote for a third-party candidate or not vote at all.

Co-founder of the Uncommitted movement Abbas Alawieh, who is voting for Harris, said he's urging other Democrats to do the same "with a public commitment to pressure her to stop sending the weapons should she become president.”

“We’re engaging folks. We’re encouraging them to go out and vote. We’re making clear that a third-party vote, unfortunately, in our broken electoral college system, a third-party vote in a swing state like Michigan does help Donald Trump and we’re not recommending a third-party vote," Alawieh said.

In a recent YouTube video, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., explained why he's voting for Harris even though he opposes her record on the war in Gaza.

“We will have, in my view, a much better chance of changing U.S. policy with Kamala than with Trump, who is extremely close to (Benjamin) Netanyahu and sees him as a like-minded, right-wing extremist ally," Sanders said.