GOP Group Targets Muslim Voters In Michigan With Ads Touting Harris’ Ties To Israel

Democrats in the state immediately labeled the ads a dirty trick from Republicans.

A political action committee founded by Republicans is running digital ads in Michigan arguing Vice President Kamala Harris “stands with Israel” amid Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza. The ads also link to a video saying Harris put “supporters of a free Palestine” “in their place.”

The ad campaign seems to be aimed at convincing Muslim, Arab and other voters who may be sympathetic to Palestinians not to support Harris by highlighting her pledges to back Israel in an approving tone.

The ads, which are running on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, are targeted at a handful of communities in Michigan, according to Meta and Snapchat’s political ad disclosures. Only a small amount of money has been spent on the ads so far.

The targeted zip codes include Dearborn, the first and only Arab-majority city in the United States and a center of the “uncommitted” movement, which refused to back President Joe Biden in the 2024 Democratic primaries. Other towns with substantial Arab or Muslim populations targeted include the Detroit enclave of Hamtramck and the rural city of Coldwater in southern Michigan.

“Vice President Harris has chosen a side – the right side,” a female narrator says in the 30-second video the ads link to. “Harris has made herself clear: She stands with Israel and the Jewish people. She has, again and again. She understands the unbreakable bond between the U.S. and Israel. So when [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu came to D.C., Harris hosted the prime minister at the White House. And when supporters of a free Palestine stood up for Gaza, Harris put them in their place.”