Arab and Muslim leaders in Michigan and around the country are mounting a last-minute push to convince their compatriots to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris on Election Day next week, despite Harris and President Joe Biden s continued funding of the Israeli militarys invasions of Gaza and Lebanon.

The push, consisting of endorsements and public appearances, comes as polling continues to show a tight race in Michigan , where 300,000 residents of Middle Eastern descent could play a make-or-break role if the election is close enough.

Republicans , meanwhile, have wooed their own Muslim and Arab leaders and are seizing on Harris use of former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) as a surrogate to muddy the waters on former President Donald Trump s approach to the Middle East.

The highest-profile moment of the Democratic effort came on Monday night, when Assad Turfe , the deputy executive of Wayne County, Michigan, took the stage at Vice President Kamala Harris rally in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He had a difficult assignment: Create a permission structure for his fellow Arab and Muslim American Michiganders to get behind Harris.

The past year has been unimaginable for so many people in my community. We are mourning loved ones who have died in Gaza and Lebanon, Turfe said. We are wondering when the suffering will finally stop. We are desperate for a president who sees us, who understands us and who will give voice to our pain and work to end this war once and for all.

And Ann Arbor, Im here tonight because I know without a doubt that Kamala Harris is that leader! he concluded.