Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) has declined to give Kamala Harris her endorsement.

Although the House Democrat was among the speakers at a United Auto Workers rally in Detroit, she did not endorse Harris in the presidential election.

She is one of few high-ranking Democrats not to endorse the party’s presidential nominee.

From The Detroit News:

Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress, has been critical of the Biden administration’s stance on Israel’s war on the militant group Hamas in Gaza following the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel that killed mostly civilians.

Earlier in the day, Tlaib criticized Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s campaign appearance in Dearborn, home to the largest number of Arab Americans in Michigan. Trump has been endorsed by the Muslim mayors of Dearborn Heights and Hamtramck, among other Arab Americans.

“Trump is a proud Islamophobe + serial liar who doesn’t stand for peace. The reality is that the Biden admin’s unconditional support for genocide is what got us here. This should be a wake-up call for those who continue to support genocide. This election didn’t have to be close,” Tlaib wrote on X.

POLITICO reports:

The Democratic lawmaker encouraged union members to vote but kept her speech focused on down-ballot races. Tlaib, who is Palestinian American, is the only member of the Squad to withhold her support for Harris and has been vocal in her criticism of the Biden administration’s Israel policy.

The war in Gaza has remained a top issue in battleground Michigan, where more than 100,000 voters cast their ballots for “uncommitted” in the state’s primary earlier this year, spurring concerns about the Democratic presidential candidate’s chances in the state. Harris has continued to face protests on the trail, as demonstrators call for her to break with President Joe Biden and support an arms embargo on Israel.

The Uncommitted National Movement, confounded by Layla Elabed, Tlaib’s sister, announced in September that it wouldn’t endorse Harris while saying it opposed Donald Trump.

Harris has been endorsed by several other leaders in the Arab American and Muslim community, and aides have met privately with leaders across battleground states in recent months. The vice president met briefly with a group of Arab American and Muslim leaders last month in Flint, Michigan, to discuss their concerns about Gaza and civilian casualties in Lebanon.

 

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