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Samraa Luqman, a lifelong Democrat, proudly voted for Donald Trump's re-election as president of the United States. A single issue motivated his vote then, just as it will again in this Tuesday's midterm elections.
"It's either Gaza or nothing," the Yemeni-American told the BBC World News Service's "The Global Story" program. "If you don't care about Gaza, Israel or Palestine, we don't need you in office nor do we have to vote for you, regardless of your political affiliation."
Angered by American support for Israel, traditionally Democratic voters like Luqman contributed to the GOP's victory in the crucial state of Michigan in 2024.
Similar concerns are now motivating voters on both sides of the debate in one of the closest races of the November election.
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The tight race for Michigan's Senate seat is crucial in determining which party will control Congress for the remainder of Trump's term. Democrats need to keep him. Republicans need to take it away from him. However, a few days before the elections, everything indicates that the situation is very even.
On one side is Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, a doctor who would become the country's first Muslim senator if elected on November 3.
Having repeatedly called the Israeli military operation in Gaza a genocide following the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups, an accusation that Israel categorically rejects, El-Sayed narrowly defeated a pro-Israel democrat in the primary.
El-Sayed's Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, is a former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent who served in the House of Representatives for 14 years.
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Backed by Trump, Rogers opposes cutting US military aid to Israel as a matter of national security for the United States.
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Michigan is key
Although midterm elections in the United States often revolve around domestic issues, such as the economy and the cost of living, the war in Gaza has become a virtual litmus test for Michigan voters.
Both candidates have emphasized using Americans' taxes to finance the conflict, with US military aid estimated to reach $21 billion by September 2025, according to Brown University's Costs of War project.
Michigan is home to the largest percentage of Arab Americans in the entire U.S. In addition, it has a significant population of Jewish voters who have strongly supported Israel. Both groups have historically been a fundamental pillar for the Democratic Party.
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But in 2024, frustrated by Democrats' foreign policy in the Middle East, some Arab and Muslim voters organized a campaign called "Undecided." More than 100,000 people withdrew their support during the primaries to show their frustration with then-President Joe Biden's unconditional support for Israel.
So when the presidential nomination fell to Kamala Harris and her promises of continuity, voters like Luqman felt betrayed.
"I was furious because I've been a Democrat my whole life, and not just because they didn't mention the word 'ceasefire' or try to stop the genocide. It was specifically because they stood their ground and said, 'We haven't done anything wrong. We're going to continue with our policies.'"
Luqman joined the wave of Muslim voters who supported Trump. "Not only did I vote, I campaigned for him," he says.
But although she now considers herself a Republican, Luqman enthusiastically supports Democrat El-Sayed for the Senate.
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Amer Zahar, also an Arab-American voter, says the 2024 election was a turning point for the Democratic Party to back a pro-Palestinian candidate like El-Sayed.
"The Democratic Party doesn't always represent me, and I don't think it always represents our community," Zahar says.
"We had to provoke a revolution within the Democratic Party, and that's what we did in 2024. So, after that revolution and the victory of candidates who defend Palestine well, we have much more support."
But while the party's internal divisions may have accommodated the concerns of many Arab-American voters, a different group is now expressing fears of abandonment.
Some question El-Sayed's ability to protect the Jewish community in a time of crisis. Following the violent attack on the Temple Israel synagogue in March, he declared: "Hurt people hurt more people." The attacker had lost family members in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon.
El-Sayed later apologized, saying he was not trying to justify the attack. However, this did not completely clarify the situation.
"That was a low blow," says Aaron Starr, president of the Michigan Board of Rabbis, who has publicly stated that he will not vote for El-Sayed.
"The majority of our community has voted for the Democratic Party and now feels that the language and actions of members of the Democratic Party, not all, but certain candidates within the Democratic Party, are putting our safety at risk," he said.
Like some Michigan Muslim Democrats in 2024, some staunch Jewish Democrats are now voting for the Republican candidate — or simply not voting.
"I'm a Democrat, but first and foremost I have to believe that the person I vote for respects me, my politics, and my existence," says Jordan Acker, a lawyer and fellow at the University of Michigan.
Acker has known El-Sayed for 20 years. They went to university together. But he's not sure if he'll vote for his former classmate.
"In Abdul's worldview, Jews are acceptable as individuals, but not as a people. And I find that extremely worrying," he says.
Meanwhile, Rogers has been trying to win over the state's Jewish vote by proving himself to be a strong supporter of Israel. He also called El-Sayed "anti-Jewish."
Critics accuse Rogers of stoking Islamophobia by trying to portray his opponent as a sympathizer of Islamic extremism. Both Rogers and Trump have accused El-Sayed, whose family emigrated from Egypt, of having ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. El-Sayed has repeatedly disavowed the group and denied any connection.
For a significant portion of the electorate, the heated Senate campaign has exacerbated not only partisan divisions but also racial and ethnic tensions. However, David Freund, an El-Sayed supporter and Jewish voter, is not too worried about the long-term consequences.
"The security of all minorities is about defending all minorities," he says. "The security of Jews will not be preserved as a separate category called 'Jewish security'. It is part of the broader issue of democratic rights for all."
This article was originally written in English and we used an artificial intelligence tool to translate it. A BBC journalist reviewed the text before publication. Learn more about how we use AI.
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