Kamala campaign targets Dearborn, Michigan with pro-Gaza Facebook ads

The Harris campaign has made a play for the Arab-American community in Dearborn, Michigan, by airing pro-Gaza advertisements in an attempt to attract support from a demographic who has been critical of the vice president over the United States' support for Israel in its war against Hamas. The ads released exclusively to Dearborn voters on several social media platforms broadcast a message that Harris is sympathetic to the Palestinian people.

Dearborn, a city in the key battleground state of Michigan, has become recognized as the Arab capital of North America and in 2023 became the first Arab-majority city in the country. The pro-Gaza advertisements are being released in zip codes for Dearborn on Facebook.

The Harris campaign has aired 901 digital advertisements in Dearborn since Aug. 23, according to a Washington Free Beacon analysis. This is one of the most extensively targeted ad markets for the Harris campaign on Facebook. The outlet noted that "While Facebook doesn't reveal which ads were aired in particular zip codes, it does indicate that ads aired exclusively in Michigan are broadcasting the message that Harris is sympathetic to Palestinians in Gaza."

"I will not be silent about the scale of human suffering in Gaza, including the death of far too many innocent civilians," the ads depict her saying. However, the advertisements reportedly combine lines from multiple Harris speeches to make it look as if the candidate said them all at once. The Democratic nominee goes on to say another line for a different speech: "Our common humanity compels us to act."

In the meantime, it appears that the Harris campaign has not broadcast any Facebook advertisements in Michigan or elsewhere that defend Israel's war against Hamas and Hezbollah.

The controversial ad strategy is the most recent instance of Harris advocating for pro-Palestinian perspectives on the Israel-Hamas conflict as she engages in voter outreach in Michigan after losing immense support from the Muslim American communities. Last month, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, the campaign manager for Harris, visited Dearborn to meet with community leader Osama Siblani, an Arab-American leader who has referred to Hamas and Hezbollah as "freedom fighters." In light of Siblani's history of anti-Israel and pro-terrorist statements, Jewish organizations condemned the Biden-Harris White House earlier this year for meeting with him.

The vice president has reportedly relied significantly on her Jewish husband, Doug Emhoff, to meet with Jewish groups in order to demonstrate that she is not hostile to Israel, as she is under pressure to do so. While Harris has lost support from both Jewish and Muslim communities, her challenger former President Donald Trump has gained support. One of the most prominent Muslim towns in Michigan recently endorsed him for president.