Poll shows 27% of Arab-American voters back Kamala Harris but most support Jill Stein

Despite jump in support for Kamala Harris's presidential bid, Arab-American community favours third-party candidate Dr Jill Stein

US Vice President Kamala Harris said she pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept a ceasefire during his visit to Washington. Bloomberg

Vice President Kamala Harris is much more popular among Arab American voters than President Joe Biden ahead of the November 5 election, a new poll has found, but the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee lags Green Party candidate Jill Stein, who has spoken forcefully for Palestinian rights.

More than 27 per cent of Arab-American voters now back Ms Harris, according to a survey by the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee.

“In a previous poll conducted in May 2024, President Joe Biden polled at 7 per cent amongst our members; a low showing that was unsurprising due to the retiring President’s staunch support for Israel’s continued genocide in Gaza,” ADC national executive director Abed Ayoub said in a post on X.

Mr Biden this month announced he would no longer be seeking a second term in the White House and endorsed his deputy.

The ADC poll, which included responses from 3,130 verified members, found 45.3 per cent favoured Green Party candidate Dr Stein.

"I feel really excited and really grateful to the Arab-American community for leading the way for an America and a world that works for all of us," Dr Stein told The National.

"I'm grateful to the Arab American community for their courage, for their moral vision and their refusal to allow the issue of genocide and endless war and human rights to be swept under the rug and bypassed in this election."

The Arab-American community is furious about the Biden administration's support for Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, where more than 39,400 have been killed since October 7.

Many Arab-Americans coalesced around an “uncommitted” movement in Democratic primaries earlier this year, when pro-Palestinian voters filed blank ballots to protest the US government's policy towards Israel and Gaza.

Ms Harris's stance on Gaza could determine her support by the community. Her comments after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week struck a tough tone but the Biden administration's policy is unlikely to change.

“It is time for this war to end,” she said, while officials denied there was “daylight” between her and Mr Biden.

Dr Stein said Ms Harris's remarks were a "carefully crafted speech to talk the talk, but not walk the walk, not even one step, and I think that's going to grow old [for] anti-genocide" voters.

"She may change her tone, she may change what she says, but I don't think it's going to result in action."

Support for any third-party candidates may complicate the path to victory for Ms Harris or Republican nominee Donald Trump, as a small number of ballots could decide a race in battleground states needed to win.

Dr Stein said Ms Harris should work to influence the Biden administration's almost unfettered support for Israel.

"If she's concerned, she could do something about it, and propose doing something, even if she's not President right now, she could call for an end to the flow of weapons immediately," Dr Stein said.

Large numbers of Arab-American voters reside in pivotal states, particularly Michigan, but also Florida and Pennsylvania.

“Although Dr Jill Stein is still the leading candidate among community members, her support is much softer in battleground states,” an ADC statement said on the poll.

Critics of third-party candidates say votes for Dr Stein in battleground states ultimately swung the race in Mr Trump's favour in 2016.

The candidate is currently on the ballot in fewer than half of America's 50 states, according to a ballot access tally by the Jill Stein campaign.

The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to written requests for comment.