LANSING, Mich. (AP) 鈥 Vice President Kamala Harris has secured the endorsement of one of the nation鈥檚 largest Muslim American voter mobilization groups, marking a significant boost to her campaign since many Muslim and Arab American organizations have opted to support third-party candidates or not endorse.
Emgage Action, the political arm of an 18-year-old Muslim American advocacy group, endorsed Harris鈥 presidential campaign on Wednesday, saying in a statement provided first to The Associated Press that the group 鈥渞ecognizes the responsibility to defeat鈥 Donald Trump in November.
The group, based in Washington, D.C., operates in eight states, with a significant presence in the key battlegrounds of Michigan and Pennsylvania. The organization will now focus its ongoing voter-outreach efforts on supporting Harris, in addition to down-ballot candidates.
鈥淭his endorsement is not agreement with Vice President Harris on all issues, but rather, an honest guidance to our voters regarding the difficult choice they confront at the ballot box,鈥 said , CEO of Emgage Action, in a statement. 鈥淲hile we do not agree with all of Harris鈥 policies, particularly on the war on Gaza, we are approaching this election with both pragmatism and conviction.鈥
The endorsement follows between Arab American and Muslim groups and Democratic leaders over the Biden administration鈥檚 handling of the . Many of these groups, including leaders of the 鈥淯ncommitted鈥 movement focused on , have chosen not to endorse any candidate in the presidential race.
The conflict in the has escalated since Hamas鈥 Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which killed approximately 1,200 people. Israel鈥檚 offensive in response has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Israel in recent days , including many women and children, making it the deadliest bombardment since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.
In an interview ahead of Emgage Action鈥檚 formal announcement, Alzayat described the decision to back Harris as 鈥渆xcruciatingly difficult,鈥 noting months of internal discussions and extensive meetings and outreach with Harris鈥 policy team and campaign.
Ultimately, the group found alignment with many of Harris鈥 domestic policies and is 鈥渉opeful鈥 about her approach to the Middle East conflict if elected, Alzayat said.
鈥淲e owe it to our community, despite this pain, despite the emotions, that we are one organization that is looking at things in a sober, clear-eyed manner and just giving our voting guidance,鈥 Alzayat said.
In Wednesday鈥檚 statement, Emgage Action endorsed Harris to prevent 鈥渁 return to Islamophobic and other harmful policies under a Trump administration.鈥
Many in the Muslim community cite Trump鈥檚 so-called 鈥淢uslim ban," which is how many Trump opponents refer to his ban on immigrants from several majority-Muslim countries, as a key reason for opposing his return to the White House.
Trump's campaign dismissed the significance of the endorsement.
鈥淥nce again, national organizations鈥 endorsements aren鈥檛 matching up to what the people suffering from four years of Kamala Harris believe," Victoria LaCivita, Trump's communications director for Michigan, said Wednesday. She added that Trump had won the endorsement of Democrat , the Muslim mayor of Hamtramck, Michigan.
鈥淰oters across the country know that President Trump is the right candidate for ALL Americans, and he will ensure peace and safety in our country and around the world,鈥 LaCivita said.
Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Harris' campaign manager, noted in a statement that the endorsement comes 鈥渁t a time when there is great pain and loss in the Muslim and Arab American communities.鈥
Harris will continue working "to bring the war in Gaza to an end such that Israel is secure, all the hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can exercise their right to freedom, dignity, security, and self-determination,鈥 she said.
