Three days after November 3, the election still hangs in the balance as poll workers count ballots in Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Georgia and several other states. When ballot counting wraps up, states like Michigan and Wisconsin may be credited with swinging the election towards former Vice President Joe Biden. While Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris both spent time in the midwest, the group that should be credited with dictating the race in the state of Michigan is made up of young, Muslim and Arab voters.
Muslim Americans make up a large portion of the Michigan population. More than 270,000 Muslim Americans live in the state and nearly one third of Detroit suburb, Dearborn, identifies as Arab-American.
Emgage Action, a Muslim political advocacy group that endorsed Biden, said that approximately 81,000 Muslim Americans cast early and absentee votes in the state. In the days leading up to the election, the group focused on setting up phone banks, leading rallies and holding virtual town halls.
“Where would the Democrats be without those 81,000 Muslims?” Nada Al-Hanooti of Emgage Action said.
The former Vice President defeated the President in the state of Michigan by approximately 150,000 votes. This is a stark contrast from 2016 when former Sen. Hilary Clinton lost to President Donald Trump by less than 15,000 votes.
With Biden and Harris inching towards the White House, local activists plan on holding the Democratic Party accountable.
“Muslims showed up for Biden today and we’re going to expect him to show up for us come January,” Al-Hanooti said.
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