The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has conducted a study of around 3000 Muslim Americans that uncovers how Muslim Americans will be voting in the 2024 election.
The report shows a shift in Muslim American civic loyalties. The study shows that 29.4% of American Muslims plan to vote for Kamala Harris, 29.1% for Green Party’s Jill Stein, 11.2% for Donald Trump? 4.2% for People’s Party Cornel West, and 1% for Libertarian Party’s Oliver Chase. The remainder 16.5% are undecided.
Before President Biden dropped from the Democratic ticket, according to an unreleased poll by CAIR of around 2500 American Muslim voters, there was support for Biden around 7.3% and for Trump around 4.9% as compared to 36% for Jill Stein and 25.2% for Cornel West.
In the 2020 election, Muslim and Arab Americans helped swing vital states to secure a Biden presidency. Nearly 1.1 million Muslim Americans cast a vote in the 2020 election, which is around 71% of registered Muslim voters. Generally, Muslim American voter turnout was integral in the 2020 election. In Georgia, President Biden won by 12,000 votes, and more than 61,000 Muslim voters came to the polls in the state. In Pennsylvania, Biden won by around 81,000 votes, and around 125,000 Muslim voters voted. A study by Pew Research Center shows that Muslim Americans’ party affiliation is around 62% for Democrats and 17% for Republicans. Around 21% of Muslims do not affiliate with Democrats or Republicans.
The CAIR study shows further nuances in Muslim American thoughts on civic engagement. When asked if they approve of Congress’ recent performance, 94.5% of Muslim respondents said they disapproved of Congress’ performance. When asked what political is most concerned with policy positions like protecting religious freedom, addressing racial inequality, providing accessible healthcare, and treating all immigrants fairly and equally, the majority of respondents said that neither political party (Democratic or Republican) aligns with addressing these issues.
An overwhelming majority of Muslim respondents (98.2%) said that they disapprove of President Biden’s handling of the Israeli government’s war in Gaza. Muslims in the poll said that the three most important domestic issues they were concerned with in the 2024 election included international human rights, religious freedom, and healthcare access. Over three quarters of Muslims have felt that since President Biden took office, anti-Muslim sentiment has increased.
The poll provides a glimpse into how Muslim Americans’ political affiliations have shifted. Muslim Americans have shown that they are a significant voting bloc, and their impact will be seen in the 2024 elections as there are contentious issues impacting the election.
