New poll shows Jill Stein and Kamala Harris neck and neck with Muslim voters
Washington DC - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) last week released its first poll of Muslim voters since Kamala Harris entered the 2024 White House race, showing the Democratic nominee neck and neck with the Green Party's Dr. Jill Stein.
The survey – conducted after the Democratic National Convention (DNC) – found that of 1,159 Muslim respondents, 29.4% were planning to vote for Harris. Stein came in close second at 29.1%.
Republican Donald Trump pulled 11.2% of respondents and Independent Dr. Cornel West 4.2%, with 16.5% undecided and 8.8% not voting.
The survey determined the Gaza genocide to be respondents' top foreign policy concern heading into the November elections.
Harris has angered many Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian-American voters and allies by refusing to support an arms embargo on Israel. The White House just last month approved the transfer of another $20 billion in weapons and military equipment to the apartheid regime.
For months, advocates for Palestinian freedom have warned President Biden and Vice President Harris that continuing to back Israel may cost Democrats at the ballot box.
Exit poll data released by CAIR found 69% of Muslim voters had cast ballots for Biden in 2020.
The latest poll appears to show a significant shift away from the Democratic Party: 69.1% of respondents generally vote for the Democrats, but in 2024, 59.7% said they plan to vote for "other" parties. 98.2% reported dissatisfaction with the administration's handling of Israel's genocide in Gaza.
Dr. Jill Stein calls for end to Gaza genocide
Stein has made Palestinian liberation – including an arms embargo on Israel – a central tenet of her 2024 presidential bid.
The Harvard-educated physician last month energized her White House campaign by announcing Muslim activist and academic Butch Ware as her running mate. The two went on to win their party nomination before heading to Chicago to protest the DNC alongside thousands of Americans of all backgrounds.
"We're grateful for the strong support of Muslim voters who share with us the determination to end genocide in Gaza, and the injustice faced by our Muslim friends. We urge all people of conscience to resist the propaganda telling you to hold your nose and vote for genocide," the Stein campaign said in an email to supporters after the CAIR poll's release.
"Don’t let them talk you out of your humanity. Stopping genocide is the moral imperative of our time."
The US has an estimated 2.5 million Muslim voters, according to CAIR, who may play a pivotal role in the 2024 election as the death toll in Palestine continues to rise.
Cover photo: Collage: REUTERS & IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire