Jewish Voter at Harris-Walz Event Asks: 'Why Doesn't the Arab Vote Matter?'
In swing-state Arizona, where it's neck-and-neck, the election could come down to uncommitted voters who feel let down by the Democrats on Gaza.
TUCSON, Arizona – In Arizona, where the last presidential election was decided by a razor-thin margin – just 10,457 votes – undecided voters like Betts Putnam-Hidalgo are at the center of a high-stakes dilemma.
A retired landscaper who moved from Connecticut to Tucson decades ago, Putnam-Hidalgo, 69, has always definitively voted for Democrats; that might not happen this cycle.
After attending six rallies in Arizona over five days and engaging with dozens of voters, it is clear to me: Arizona is a deep purple state, with the power to play a major role in who becomes the next president of the United States. Will it back a contentious former president, or will it pave the way for the first woman to make history?
It all comes down to voters like Putnam-Hidalgo in a state where the race for 11 electoral votes is neck-and-neck, according to a recent AtlasIntel poll.
Of Jewish background, Putnam-Hidalgo wears her frustration like a badge, literally. She stood in line at a Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz rally, with the back of her bright red shirt stuck with a poster that read, “Why doesn’t the Arab vote matter?”
She waited for more than two hours in line at the Palo Verde High School in the dry heat of Tucson, hoping that listening to Walz might offer her a compelling reason to convince her to vote.
“I wanted to see if I would even hear the word Palestine or Palestinians from Coach Walz,” she said, scanning the crowd at the rally.
The five-foot-tall woman donned her beach hat, a small keffiyeh draped around her neck, and the words “ARMS EMBARGO NOW” printed on the front side of her shirt. She stood out in a crowd of strongly supportive Democrats, but her sentiment echoed a larger movement. Pro-Palestinian organizers disrupted several major Democratic rallies during the first week of early voting in Arizona.
“Your Wife Supports Genocide”
On Oct. 8, second gentleman Doug Emhoff kicked off the “Get Out the Vote” rally in Phoenix, firing up a crowd that waited hours to hear him.
Attendees wore shirts with slogans like “Heyyy...It’s Douggg” and “Childless Cat Lady.” Many held signs, reading "Vote, Harris Walz." And then there was Lauren, who had a Palestinian flag hidden in her purse.
As Emhoff praised his wife, Vice President Kamala Harris, as “the leader America needs,” Lauren, who requested to only use her first name over safety concerns, shouted, “Your wife supports genocide!” and raised the Palestinian flag with another protester. Campaign staff quickly removed the duo as the crowd drowned out the disruption with chants of “We’re not going back.”
Emhoff, unfazed, shot back.
"We believe in the First Amendment in this country," he said, before emphasizing the need for a leader like Harris – not Donald Trump, who Emhoff said serves only himself, not the American people.
“Clearly, our politicians who are funding and supporting – materially and rhetorically – the genocide are not listening to [Palestinian] voices.”
-Lauren, who disrupted multiple Harris rallies in Arizona
Lauren said the planned disruption was a form of solidarity with her “brothers and sisters” in Gaza.
“Hopefully, [the government] might see that we are trying to use our voice. Clearly, our politicians who are funding and supporting – materially and rhetorically – the genocide are not listening to [Palestinian] voices,” she said.
Two days later, Lauren showed up at Harris’s rally in Chandler, part of the battleground states tour, and interrupted again, for an audience of about 7,000.
For Lauren, disrupting these events isn’t without fear, especially given the size and energy of the crowds. But, acting – and voting – with her conscience matters most.
“Anything that happens is nowhere near close to what our brothers and sisters in Gaza are going through. It does not compare in any way, shape or form,” she said. “It's nowhere near the same universe.”
Lauren had already made up her mind, casting her early vote by mail for a third-party candidate. Others, however, remain undecided, or perhaps more worrying for Harris, unconvinced.
The Uncommitted Effect
The disruptions, shifting loyalties, and widespread disillusionment with the political establishment reveal the uncertainty influencing voter behavior in Arizona. That’s especially clear as Arizona grapples with two movements that might hinder Harris’s victory in the state – the ‘Uncommitted’ and ‘Abandon Harris’ movements.
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