Longtime Democrat strategist David Axelrod said on Wednesday that the growing conflict between Israel and hostile groups in the Middle East is hurting Vice President Kamala Harris’ chances of winning a key battleground state.
During an episode of the "Hacks on Tap" podcast released on Wednesday, Axelrod said that Harris is in "a terrible place" due to events in the Middle East that have hurt her chances with voters of Arab descent in Michigan.
"This is a very fraught thing for Harris because in some ways she’s at the mercy of events there," he said, adding that Harris is "cross-pressured between an Arab community that is significant enough to influence the race in Michigan" and pro-Israel Democrats.
Axelrod also noted that Harris must deal with "the chaos factor that comes with war generally" and that former President Donald Trump’s campaign has attempted to capitalize on the situation with an ad campaign focusing on the Middle East.
"You saw at the beginning of that Trump ad, reference to chaos in the world and images of the Middle East," Axelrod said, adding that young voters and Arab American voters are increasingly disillusioned with President Joe Biden’s administration over its stance on Israel.
"Palestinians and Lebanese around Detroit are deeply, deeply unhappy with Americans for providing weaponry to the Israelis," Axelrod said, adding that Jewish voters may be disappointed with a lack of progress on a peace agreement or hostage releases.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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