Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) refrained from endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday, instead urging Michigan residents not to "underestimate the power" they hold.
Speaking at a United Auto Workers (UAW) rally in Detroit, Tlaib encouraged voters to make their voices count in the upcoming election and to “mobilize people” to vote, as reported by the *Detroit News*.
Although Tlaib did not endorse Harris, she took to X to criticize former President Donald Trump, calling him a “proud Islamophobe” and a “serial liar who doesn’t stand for peace.”
Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s recent remarks on former President Donald Trump come at a time when his support among Arab American and Muslim American communities has been rising, including endorsements from Muslim Americans in Michigan.
During a United Auto Workers (UAW) rally in Detroit, Tlaib urged Michigan residents to recognize their influence, saying, “Don’t underestimate the power you all have. More than those ads, those lawn signs, those billboards, you all have more power to turn out people that understand we’ve got to fight back against corporate greed in our country.” According to *Detroit News*, Tlaib focused her speech on down-ballot races, particularly judicial races, voicing support for Democratic-nominated Michigan Supreme Court candidates Kyra Harris Bolden and Kimberley Thomas, who are running against Republicans Patrick O’Grady and Andrew Fink.
Earlier this year, Tlaib had suggested opposition to President Joe Biden, then the Democratic presidential nominee, over the administration’s response to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Although Tlaib withheld an endorsement of Harris at the rally, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) spoke optimistically about Michigan, calling it “the place where miracles happen” and predicted it would “deliver a Kamala Harris presidency.”