How did Middle East wars impact US House, Senate races?
The conflicts in the Middle East shaped Republican and Democratic campaign trails across the country.
WASHINGTON — In a historic development, former President Donald Trump will return to the Oval Office on Jan. 20, 2025. Republicans have secured control of the Senate with at least 53 seats, and will likely retain control of the House of Representatives.
Republicans and Democrats on campaign trails across the country often referenced the conflicts in the Middle East.
Both presidential campaigns spent significant time in Michigan and Pennsylvania, key battleground states with sizable Arab, Jewish and Muslim populations. Trump was the only presidential candidate to visit Dearborn, Michigan, home to the largest Arab American population in the country.
Jewish voters in Pennsylvania, meanwhile, told Al-Monitor that the US response to Israel's war in Gaza and the situation on US university campuses, where some students claim they have faced mounting antisemitism amid the Gaza war, were key issues for their community. For Muslim and Arab Americans, the Biden-Harris administration's support for Israel's war in Gaza was a motivating issue.
