Biden Support From Arab-Americans Plummets 42 Points Amid US Support For Israel: Poll
AP Photo/Evan Vucci
A new poll from the Arab American Institute shows a steep decline in support for President Joe Biden among Arab-Americans, to just 17 percent who would support the current president in the 2024 election.
The poll, which was conducted by John Zogby Strategies, was commissioned by the AAI in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7 and the U.S. response, which has been solidly in support of Israel. But as Israel’s military strikes back against Hamas and the U.S. continues its unwavering support of Israel, many have protested the actions as the death toll in Gaza reaches the thousands.
According to the poll, which surveyed Arab-Americans across the country — including in the battleground states of Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania — “[t]wo-thirds of Arab Americans have a negative view of President Biden’s response to the current violence in Palestine and Israel” with only 17 percent ready to vote for him in 2024.
In 2020, 59 percent of Arab Americans voted for Biden, making this a huge 42-point plummet in support. But Biden is not the only candidate losing support:
The overall impact of the negative views toward the President and his policies not only shows up in a substantial drop in expected voter support in 2024, it also has a dramatic impact on party preference. This poll marks the first time in our 26 years of polling Arab American voters in which a majority did not claim to prefer the Democratic Party.
In 2008 and 2016, Democrats outnumbered Republicans by two to one. In this poll, 32% of Arab Americans identified as Republican as opposed to just 23% who identified as Democrats. Independents continued a steady growth in party identification and overtook Democrats for the first time in October 2023.
While the perceived lack of support for the Muslim and Arab American communities likely contribute to these numbers, AAI also notes that eight in 10 Arab Americans polled are concerned that Islamophobia and hate-driven violence will rise, especially if they speak up in support of Palestine:
Fifty-nine percent of Arab Americans report experiencing discrimination, an increase of 6% since April of this year. Seventy percent of Arab American Muslims and 74% of Arab Americans ages 18-34 report facing discrimination. Half of all Arab Americans felt concerned about facing discrimination at school, work, and in their local community due to the recent violence in Palestine and Israel, with two-thirds expressing concern about show support for Palestinians.
Last week, a Gallup poll showed Biden losing support among Democrats, dropping to 75 percent approval among voters in his own party in October (also following the October 7 attacks) from 86 percent in September. Those numbers are also attributed to a left-leaning segment of the party disapproving of Biden’s support of Israel.
