DEARBORN, Mich. — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro lost out on the veepstakes, and many anti-Israel activists in Michigan’s Arab-American communities are cheering.
Sam Baydoun, a Wayne County Commissioner who represents Dearborn, told The Post that he doesn’t know much about Kamala Harris’ pick Tim Walz, but said he’s “definitely better” than Shapiro.
“Shapiro was very critical of the university campus protesters, which is a fundamental democratic right in this country,” Baydoun told the Post.
“I think that might have affected his selection by the VP.”
When Biden’s team visited Dearborn in January, many of its top leaders refused to meet with them.
Abdullah Hammoud, the mayor of Dearborn — which has a majority Arab-American population, was one of them.
Things have changed in the months since, with Biden off the ballot and the emergence of a new Democratic ticket.
“Vice President Kamala Harris’ selection of Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate is a good faith step,” Hammoud said via email.
“Gov. Walz was the only governor in the country to take uncommitted voters seriously, and to recognize that the situation in Gaza is intolerable.”
Shapiro, who is Jewish, was smeared by online trolls as “Genocide Josh” when he was reported to be one of the frontrunners to be Harris’ running mate.
Shapiro was also recently made to defend a pro-Israel op-ed he wrote as a 20-year-old college student.
Some Jewish voters and activists previously said they believe he was being targeted because of his faith, and they fear that Harris didn’t pick him for the same reason.
The Detroit suburb of Dearborn has been ground zero for the anti-Israel movement as a national political force.
On Wednesday, Vice President Harris’ speech to 15,000 supporters in Detroit was interrupted by anti-Israel protesters who shouted, “Kamala, Kamala, you can’t hide! We won’t vote for genocide.”
An unamused Kamala Harris snapped back, “You know what, if you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I’m speaking,” to the cheers of rally-goers.
In the February Michigan primary voters cast more than 100,000 ballots with “uncommitted” in the line for president, rather than voting for Biden.
While Biden sailed to an easy primary victory with more than 80% of the vote, the campaign’s true aim was to send a message that the votes of the Arab and Muslim communities will be “uncommitted” in November as well, absent a ceasefire to the war in Gaza.
In a close swing state — which Biden won in 2020 by just 154,000 votes — the defection of those supporters could hand Michigan to former President Donald Trump.
Voters in Dearborn say they’re listening to Harris, but want to see serious movement on a Gaza ceasefire.
Hammoud opposed Shapiro in the contest for Kamala’s VP, but rejected that his opposition came from a place of antisemitism.
“It’s certainly not antisemitic to critique somebody’s position on Israeli policy,” Hammoud previously told the AP.
“That’s just called stewardship and accountability.”
Hammoud said he’s in line with other Democrats on the issue.
“The vast majority of Democrats and now, independents too, support a just, peaceful, and permanent solution for Palestine,” he told The Post.
“It is time that the top of the ticket aligns their positions and policies with the values and principles of the Americans they are running to represent.”
Six months after rallying the uncommitted vote in Michigan, Hammoud is hopeful that a Harris-Walz administration will be more supportive of Palestinians than Biden-Harris has been.
In shedding Biden’s baggage, Baydoun said Harris will be a fresh face on the ticket.
But he also warned that the new-penny shine won’t last forever.
“We’re taking a wait-and-see attitude, to see what she’s planning in terms of foreign policy,” Baydoun said.
“But Vice President Harris is part of the administration,” he added.
“I would like to give her a chance. But nothing is going to change with (America’s) unconditional and unwavering support to the State of Israel. The continuous flow of the most sophisticated arms will continue.”
Dawud Walid is executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Michigan chapter (CAIR-MI), and told The Post he doesn’t think the VP pick would make much of a difference, even if it had been Shapiro.
He believes Harris is still tainted due to her role as vice president under Biden, which is ongoing.
“There’s a reason it’s called the Biden-Harris administration,” Walid said.
“If she had radically different ideas on policy from the president, she should have had the integrity of a Colin Powell, and resigned.”
“Harris was not on solid ground with Muslims even prior to Gaza, and it’s only gotten worse since,” Walid continued.
He also told The Post that the uncommitted campaign could take a different form in November, positing that Green Party candidate Jill Stein could draw support from Arab voters.
Recent polling from Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee, Stein is pulling 45% of the Arab vote, compared to about 28% for Harris.
