New Lines Magazine:

For months, as the war in Gaza raged on and student protests overtook American campuses, the question of just how much President Joe Biden’s steadfast support for Israel amid the war’s escalation would cost Democrats fueled endless debate.

Many speculated that the anger that fueled the protests would come home to roost in November, as Muslim Americans in key swing states who had voted for Biden in 2020 would stay home, or worse, vote for Republican former President Donald Trump. Those fears appeared to pan out in state elections and primaries, as Muslim Americans chose to write in other candidates or voted “uncommitted” in protest.

Now with the presidential race in disarray after Biden abandoned his reelection bid, observers are wondering whether Vice President Kamala Harris can reclaim those voters lost to the war in Gaza.

A new poll has shed light on the depths of Muslim-American disillusionment with the Democrats’ policies on the war in Gaza. But it also shows that many have not chosen to vote for Trump and may yet be swayed by the Harris campaign as it struggles to define its message on the conflict.

The study, which was conducted by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) in partnership with Change Research and Emgage Foundation shortly before Biden dropped out of the race, offers both an insight and opportunity for the Democrats: an insight into how crucial Gaza has been to Muslim American-perceptions of the presidential race and an opportunity to offer a Kamala Harris candidacy as a “face-saving” measure, potentially bringing disaffected Muslim voters back to vote for a Democratic president.

The war has especially upset Muslims who voted for Biden in 2020, the majority of whom said before his departure that they did not plan to vote for him in 2024 as a result of his policies, according to the report. [Continue reading…]