# Republicans Fumble Their 2024 Gains With Arabs in Michigan

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/republicans-fumble-their-2024-gains-with-arabs-in-michigan/
- Published: 2026-11-04T18:04:01+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-05T05:50:11+00:00
- Original publisher: Reason (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://reason.com/2026/11/04/republicans-fumble-their-2024-gains-with-arabs-in-michigan/
- Topics: Americas, Elections, Politics, World

## Key points

- Dearborn backed El-Sayed by 82 per cent.
- Arab and Muslim voters helped shape Michigan’s close contests.
- Trump’s remarks and Iran policy may have contributed to a shift.

## Summary

Arab American voters in Michigan shifted towards Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in the 2026 Senate race, helping Democrats regain ground after many in the state’s Arab and Muslim communities backed Donald Trump or third parties in 2024. The change highlights how candidates’ positions on Middle East policy and their treatment of these communities can influence close elections.

Dearborn’s vote for the Democratic candidate rose from 36 per cent for Kamala Harris in 2024 to 82 per cent for El-Sayed this year. The article links the shift to El-Sayed’s local ties, Trump’s support for the war with Iran and remarks mocking El-Sayed’s name, and Republican attacks associating him with Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, which he disavowed.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.