Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders won in the state of Michigan Tuesday evening in what many are calling an upset against Hillary Clinton.
However, many in the Arab-American community said that it is not a surprise at all that Sanders won in the Arab and Muslim dense state of Michigan. Dearborn, which has been dubbed by some as the “Arab capital of North America,” gave Sanders 63 percent of their support on the Democratic ticket, while the Republican vote in Dearborn was split among Donald Trump (37 percent), John Kasich (33 percent) and Ted Cruz (19 percent).
The win for Bernie Sanders, which gave him 65 of the total 130 delegates that the state has to offer for Democrats, came after the Vermont Senator-turned presidential contender targeted the Arab-American community with radio, print, and Twitter ads in Arabic.
The win in Michigan comes as an “upset” as polls leading up to the primary voting stood heavily in favor of Clinton taking the win.
“Sanders won the Arab and Muslim vote because his message appealed to the community. He invested in outreach to the community, including speaking in Dearborn, ads in Arabic, and winning the endorsements of prominent Arab and Muslim Americans,” Abed Ayoub, the legal and policy director for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) told Rare.
However, with longstanding historical tensions between Arab Muslims and Jews, many noted the widespread support in Michigan for Bernie Sanders, who is Jewish. “It should not be a surprise that he won,” Ayoub said of Sanders.
“His message appealed to the voters, and they came out to the polls. I think it sends a message to those who believe the Arab and Muslim and Jewish communities do not get along in the U.S. Our community votes on the issues and policies, regardless of the candidates’ faith,” Ayoub told Rare.
Sanders’ campaign has pushed the “America together” message that urges unity among the faiths in a time of intense political and religious divisiveness.
AP
