Rashida Tlaib refuses to endorse Kamala Harris as Gaza war takes toll on Dem voter base
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., refused to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris at a rally in Detroit, Michigan on Friday.
Tlaib appeared alongside fellow "squad" member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and members of the United Auto Workers union. While Ocasio-Cortez and other speakers threw their support behind Harris, Tlaib only urged Michiganders to get out and vote and didn't mention Harris, according to the Detroit News.
"Don’t underestimate the power you all have," she told rally-goers. "More than those ads, those lawn signs, those billboards, you all have more power to turn out people that understand we’ve got to fight back against corporate greed in our country. … We’ve got to make sure that the nonpartisan part of the ballot gets filled in."
Tlaib has been heavily critical of the Biden-Harris administration's handling of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. Her stance mirrors that of many Muslims and Arabs in the U.S., a demographic that has a large representation in Michigan.
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Tlaib issued her most stark rejection of the Harris-Walz ticket in September during an appearance on MSNBC. She said at the time that she had many consituents come to her saying they did not feel their could support Harris and she told them, "there’s other people on this ballot that support a ceasefire. There’s other people on this ballot that can protect our community."
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There are multiple third-party candidates for president on the ballot in Michigan, including Jill Stein and left-wing activist Cornel West.
Harris' campaign is attempting to play both sides of the Gaza conflict, appealing to Jewish voters in Pennsylvania by highlighting her support for Israel's autonomy, while condemning the violence in Gaza in ads aimed at Michigan Muslims.
A report from CNN on Friday put a spotlight on the Harris campaign's divergent Facebook ads.
"And let me be clear- I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself," Harris says in the Facebook ad, which had been taken from her DNC convention speech. "And I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself because the people of Israel must never again face the horror that a terrorist organization called Hamas caused on October 7, including unspeakable sexual violence and the massacre of young people at a music festival."
After an edit, Harris adds, "And know this: I will never hesitate to take whatever action is necessary to defend our forces and our interests against Iran and Iran-backed terrorists."
Meanwhile, the Harris campaign launched a separate ad, this one aimed at Arab-Americans in Michigan, expressing solidarity with civilians in Gaza.
"What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating," Harris says in the ad. "We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering and I will not be silent."
In another speech featured in the same ad," Harris says, "Our common humanity compels us to act."
The video itself is captioned as "VP Harris has been working to end the suffering in Gaza."