DEARBORN, Michigan — Of the thousands of delegates expected to gather at the Democratic National Convention on Monday, only 36 will belong to the “non-committed” movement fueled by dissatisfaction with President Joe Biden’s handling of the war between Israel and Hamas.
But that small core has excessive influence.
Anger over US support for Israel’s offensive in Gaza could produce unwelcome images for convention organizers, with noisy protests expected outside and possibly in the Chicago arena where Harris will accept the nomination on Thursday.
Top Democrats have spent weeks meeting with “uncommitted” voters and their allies — including a previously unreported meeting between Vice President Kamala Harris and the mayor of Dearborn, Michigan — in an effort to respond to criticism in key swing states like Michigan, which has a significant Arab-American population.
Months of meetings and phone calls between pro-Palestinian activists and the Harris campaign have reached an effective impasse. The activists want Harris to endorse an arms embargo on Israel and a permanent ceasefire. Harris has supported Biden’s ceasefire negotiations but rejected an arms embargo.
Rima Mohammad, one of Michigan’s two “non-committed” delegates, said she sees the convention as an opportunity to share their movement’s concerns with party leadership.
“It’s a way for protesters to express their frustration with the party,” she said.
Questions remain about the influence that “uncommitted” voters will have now that Biden has left office and Harris has taken his place. Democrats have a significant increase in enthusiasm for Harris’ campaign and concerns about voter apathy in key areas, such as Detroit’s large black population, appear to have abated.
But Harris and her team have still made communicating with Arab American leaders a priority.
During a campaign trip to michigan Last week, Harris met with Abdullah Hammoud, the 34-year-old mayor of Dearborn, a Detroit suburb with the largest Arab-American population of any city in the United States. The meeting was reported by a person who was not authorized to speak publicly and who requested anonymity.
The person familiar with the meeting did not provide specific details but said the focus was on Harris’ possible policies, if elected, on the Israel-Hamas conflict. Hammoud declined to comment.
“Vice President Harris supports the deals currently on the table for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages,” her campaign said in a statement. “She will continue to meet with leaders from the Palestinian, Muslim, Israeli, and Jewish communities, as she has done throughout her vice presidency.”
Campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez held separate one-on-one conversations with leaders of the Arab American community and the “non-committed” movement in metro Detroit on Thursday.
“They listen and we talk,” said Osama Siblani, publisher of The Arab American News, who met with Chavez Rodriguez. “But none of us can garner votes in the community without public statements from Harris. She doesn’t need us; she can win votes by saying and doing the right thing.”
According to Siblani, Chavez Rodriguez agreed that “the killing has to stop.” In response, Siblani said he pressed: “How? There is no plan.”
Michigan Democratic Chairwoman Lavora Barnes said the party “will continue to work toward our goal of defeating Donald Trump and Republicans across the board.”
“We are committed to continuing these conversations with community leaders, activists and organizations as we ensure that everyone in the Michigan Democratic Party has a seat at the table,” Barnes said in a statement.
Some on the left of the Democratic Party have called for a moratorium on the use of American-made weapons by Israel to be included in the policy goals platform adopted at next week’s convention. But such language was not included in a draft platform released by party officials earlier this summer, and it is unlikely that people close to Harris’ campaign would support its inclusion.
The Uncommitted National Movement has also requested a speaking engagement at the convention from a doctor who has worked on the front lines in Gaza, along with a leader of the movement. And they have asked for a meeting with Harris “to discuss Gaza policy in the hopes of stopping the flow of unconditional weapons and bombs” to Israel, said Abbas Alawieh, another “uncommitted” delegate from Michigan and one of the movement’s founders.
Before a Harris rally just outside Detroit last week, Alawieh and Layla Elabed, co-founders of the movement, met briefly with the vice president. They asked for a formal meeting with Harris and urged her to support an embargo on arms shipments to Israel. Harris, they said, seemed open to the idea of a meeting.
Shortly after news of the meeting became public, however, Harris’ national security adviser Phil Gordon confirmed that she does not support an arms embargo. Alawieh reported Wednesday that the group has received no further response from Harris’ team or the DNC regarding their requests ahead of the convention.
“I hope she does not miss the opportunity to unite the party,” Alawieh said.
Elsewhere in metro Detroit this week, Massad Boulos, the father-in-law of Trump’s youngest daughter and now a leader in his Arab American outreachheld meetings with various community groups. Boulos has come to Michigan many times for outreach, along with Arab-Americans for Trump Chairman Bishara Bahbah.
According to Bahbah, their pitch emphasizes the situation in Gaza under the Biden administration and a promise from Trump’s team to give the community a seat at the negotiating table if he wins.
“The Trump inner circle, which is not part of the campaign, told us that in exchange for our votes, we would get a seat at the table and a voice that would be heard,” Bahbah said.
But any apparent political opportunity for Trump in the Arab American community or the “disengaged” movement may be limited by his past statements and policies.
Many Arabs are still offended by Trump’s ban while he is still in office. immigration from various countries with an Islamic majority and comments they consider offensive. Trump has also criticized Biden for not being a strong enough supporter of Israel.
Speaking to an audience of Jewish supporters on Thursday, Trump described the protesters expected in Chicago as anti-Semitic, using an Arabic term sometimes used by Muslims to denote war or conflict.
“There will be no jihad in America under Trump,” he said.
Bahbah acknowledges, however, that his and Boulos’s strategy is not necessarily aimed at convincing voters to support Trump, but at discouraging them from voting for Harris.
“If I can’t convince people to vote for Trump, it’s better to let them stay home,” Bahbah said.
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Will Weissert, an Associated Press editor in Washington, contributed to this report.