Image: Kataeb.org (An-Nahar report) (source article)
Do Lebanese Americans swing the midterms? Only in Michigan, activist tells An-Nahar
Two days before the US vote, Lebanese-American voices quoted by An-Nahar say the community is split between the parties and matters at the margin in Michigan, Texas and Florida.
Lebanese Americans are campaigning and voting in Tuesday's US midterm elections, but their weight is limited to a few close races, according to an An-Nahar report republished by the Kataeb party website on Sunday.
Vivian al-Haber, a physician and Lebanese-American political activist, told the paper she does not see a strong Lebanese effect “except in Michigan”, where community members are backing Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. She said Lebanese-American Democrats are concentrated in the north-east of the country while Republicans are in the south-west.
Walid Maalouf, a former US alternate representative to the United Nations, said Lebanese Americans have joined both parties throughout their history in the country and are present in the judiciary, the military and public life, spread across many states rather than concentrated in one.
He argued that what he called a distinctive American gesture toward Lebanon could push Lebanese-American voters toward Republican candidates, and that in Texas, Florida and Michigan the margins between candidates are narrow enough for the community's votes to make a difference. “Minorities make a difference in certain states,” he said.
The views are those of the two interviewees; the report cited no polling of Lebanese-American voters.
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