Campaigning with Liz Cheney Appears to Backfire on Kamala Harris in Battleground State
A recent visit by Vice President Kamala Harris to Muslim communities in Michigan, accompanied by former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney, has sparked controversy. While Harris intended to reach out to moderate Republicans, many in Michigan’s Muslim population reacted negatively, viewing Cheney’s presence as a reminder of past conflicts and a sign of insensitivity to their community’s concerns—especially regarding U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. Local leaders, including Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib, expressed dismay, suggesting that this move could alienate Muslim voters and reinforce fears of continued military conflict if Harris were elected. The Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned the partnership, labeling Cheney as a “torture advocate” and an “anti-Muslim bigot.” the visit is seen as a misstep that could further distance the Muslim community from the Harris campaign.
Visiting Muslim communities in Michigan with Liz Cheney in tow sent a message, but not the one Vice President Kamala Harris meant to send.
Cheney, a former Republican member of Congress from Wyoming, emerged as a fierce critic of former President Donald Trump after the Capitol incursion.
She joined Harris recently as the vice president made a pit stop in Royal Oak, Michigan, where Cheney focused on bringing moderate Republicans into the Harris camp, according to Fox News.
However, some members of Michigan’s extensive Muslim population said the gesture made Harris’s comments supporting Palestinians seem like little more than lip service.
“It was surprising for us as Arab Americans to have Kamala Harris bringing someone whose family name always reminds us of war crimes in the Middle East,” Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib said Monday.
It’s surreal that the Arab-American vote in Michigan might be decisive and Kamala Harris looked at that and decided the best course of action would be to campaign with Liz Cheney in Michigan two weeks before the election https://t.co/DEbFt56IgW
— Gregg Carlstrom (@glcarlstrom) October 23, 2024
Dick Cheney, Liz Cheney’s father, was vice president under former President George W. Bush and strongly endorsed the Iraq War.
“The Arab American community, as I see it, are very disappointed,” Ghalib said. He has endorsed Trump.
“To bring this person to our backyard, to remind us all of the tragedies that happened in the Middle East, is something that tells us that there would be more wars coming if Kamala Harris is elected.”
“It was very insulting to our community that she comes with Cheney,” Ghalib continued.
“I don’t know how that is going to help her. … I think it’s just a stupid move. … It can only hurt.”
He was not alone in saying the gesture distanced Muslims from the Harris campaign
“It is very, very disappointing and kind of disgusting to bring somebody, to bring Cheney, over here,” Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bazzi said. “There’s no peace in the family.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations has said it will not accept Cheney as a supporter of its constituency, according to a statement on its website.
“No elected official who cares about justice or the rule of law or human rights should ever praise Liz Cheney, a torture advocate, anti-Muslim bigot and warmonger,” CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said.
The American Muslim 2024 Election Task Force also condemned the partnership between Harris and Cheney.
“The Harris campaign’s decision to platform Cheney is an insult to every American who worked to oppose the Bush-Cheney administration’s criminal policies and to everyone around the world who died due to those policies,” it said in a statement, according to Newsweek.
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