The campaign for the U.S. presidency of Kamala Harris has appointed an Egyptian-American lawyer to lead outreach to Arab American voters, aiming to secure support from a community disillusioned with the U.S.’s stance on Israel’s conflict with Gaza.
Brenda Abdelall, the chosen individual for Arab American outreach, previously held the position of senior counselor to the Department of Homeland Security secretary and subsequently served as chief of staff for the department’s civil rights office after Trump’s term concluded.
According to Reuters, the votes of Muslim and Arab Americans could carry significant weight in battleground states like Michigan, which has the highest percentage of Arab Americans in the nation. In her acceptance of the Democratic presidential nomination, Harris promised to broker a ceasefire in Gaza and ensure that Palestinians are afforded their rights to dignity, security, freedom, and self-determination.
However, the decision to deny a speaking slot to pro-Palestinian delegates at the convention sparked outrage, leading to the disbandment of the Muslim Women for Harris-Walz group and the withdrawal of its support from the campaign.
Despite this, Harris, who has vowed to address the plight of Palestinians, recently engaged with members of the national “Uncommitted” movement, which played a pivotal role in challenging Biden during the Democratic primary process.
Additionally, Harris’s campaign recently enlisted the expertise of Nasrina Bargzie, an Afghan American lawyer, to spearhead outreach to Muslim voters. Bargzie previously served as a policy adviser in Harris’s White House office, focusing on Muslim, Arab, and Gaza-related issues, reproductive rights, voting, and democracy.
