We are three weeks away from the 2024 presidential election! This week, both candidates turned to famous figures to reinforce their messages, and the anniversary of October 7 reminded Americans of the conflict in the Middle East and how that will affect their vote this November.
Harris Rallies With Cheney and Obama
On October 3, Vice President Kamala Harris held a rally at Ripon, Wisconsin, the same town where the Republican Party was founded in 1854. She was joined there by former Representative Liz Cheney, a Republican who helped lead a House investigation into the January 6 riots. “She’s working to unite reasonable people from all across the political spectrum,” Cheney described of Harris. “I’m honored to join her in this urgent cause.” Harris called Cheney’s endorsement a “profound honor.” Cheney may help Harris appeal to moderate Republicans, a key group she needs to win in November.
Later this week, former President Barack Obama spoke at a rally for Harris in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He addressed the declining support Black voters, especially Black men, have for Democrats. “Part of it makes me think that, well, you just aren’t feeling the idea of having a woman as president, and you’re coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for that,” Obama remarked. Obama may help Harris appeal to Black men, another key group in the upcoming election.
Trump Returns to Butler, PA
Former President Donald Trump held a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on October 5, at the same site of the July assassination attempt on him. “Twelve weeks ago, we all took a bullet for America,” Trump remarked. “All we are asking is that everyone goes out and votes. We got to win. We can’t let this happen to our country.” The assassination attempts on Trump have added more turbulence to the 2024 election.
Trump was joined by billionaire Elon Musk, who claimed at the rally that Trump’s opponents want to “take away your freedom of speech. They want to take away your right to bear arms.” Musk also asked the audience to register to vote, telling them to “get everyone you know and everyone you don’t know. Drag them to register to vote.”
Anniversary of October 7
On October 7, 2023, the Gazan militant group Hamas attacked Israel, triggering a devastating conflict in the Middle East that still continues. A year later, the war’s effects continue to travel beyond the Middle East. The war, as well as division and fear between Muslim and Jewish-American communities, will certainly play a role in the 2024 presidential election.
Both presidential campaigns have made appeals to the Jewish-American community. Since October 7, violence against Jewish students on college campuses and activist calls for Israel’s destruction have worried and angered many Jews. Trump has taken notice, arguing that if he wins, “Israel will be safe and secure, and we will stop the toxic poison of antisemitism from spreading all over America.” Meanwhile, Harris has appealed to Jewish voters as well, giving a speaking slot at the 2024 Democratic National Convention to the parents of an Israeli hostage in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Muslim-American voters feel hurt and angered by the Biden-Harris administration’s continued support of Israel – Harris has described her support for Israel as “unwavering.” Since October 7, Israel has continued to fight in Gaza and now Lebanon, two majority-Muslim countries. A Muslim-American group named Abandon Harris issued a statement describing the conflict as “a genocide made possible by the Biden-Harris administration” and calling on voters to “hold Kamala Harris accountable for her role in these atrocities.”
Still, Harris has tried to appeal to Muslim voters, advocating for the “right to dignity, security, freedom, and self-determination” for Palestine.
Come back for new updates as we get closer to Election Day!
