According to a new poll conducted by Arab News and YouGov, the upcoming US presidential election will see the highest turnout of Arab American voters in over a decade, with almost nine out of ten individuals surveyed saying they intend to vote. With the presidential race neck-and-neck, this unprecedented turnout has the potential to impact the outcome of the election and perhaps the future of US policy in the Middle East. To discuss the findings of this poll and think through their various implications, the Middle East Institute is pleased to host an expert panel.
The assembled scholars will address the following questions and more: What issues are most important to Arab American voters, and how will this impact their voting in the November election? To what extent will the Arab American vote affect the final outcome of the election? And given the Arab American Political Action Committee’s (AAPAC) decision not to endorse a candidate for president this year, is it too late for the Trump and Harris campaigns to shore up Arab American support?
Speakers:
Tarek Ali Ahmad
Head of Research and Studies, Arab News
Yasmeen Abu Taleb
White House Reporter, The Washington Post
Lara Barazi
Freelance Data Consultant; Former Research Director, YouGov
Ray Hanania
Senior US Correspondent, Arab News
Brian Katulis (Moderator)
Senior Fellow for US Foreign Policy, Middle East Institute
Extended Speaker Biographies
Tarek Ali Ahmad is the Head of the Arab News Research & Studies Unit and its Media Editor. He edits and oversees the award-winning, long-form Deep Dives, research reports and is the host and moderator of the Briefing Room webinar. Notable coverage includes spearheading Arab News’ coverage of the Lebanon conflict, and the 2024 US Elections as well as the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos since 2020. He is also an executive producer of Frankly Speaking, the newspaper’s HardTalk-style interview show. He holds an MA in Human Rights Law from SOAS, University of London, and a BA in Media and Communication from the American University of Beirut.
Yasmeen Abutaleb is a White House reporter with The Washington Post. She joined in 2019 as a national reporter covering health policy and covered the Trump and Biden administration responses to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the Department of Health and Human Services. Yasmeen co-authored the New York Times No. 1 best seller, "Nightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administration Response to the Pandemic that Changed History." She previously covered health care and technology for Reuters.
Lara Barazi is a freelance consultant, in which she supports businesses and organizations to better understand their operating markets and provides optimal research solutions through data analysis. Formerly, she was the Research Director of YouGov MENA, in which she led and executed polling projects while developing the growth of online methodologies, quantitative models, and successful application of YG products.
Ray Hanania is an award-winning former Chicago City Hall political reporter and columnist. A pioneer in Arab American journalism, he is an award-winning writer, author of several books, and a standup comedian (who co-founded the Israeli-Palestinian Comedy Tour) — using humor to bring Palestinians, Israelis, Jews and Arabs together — who has been writing to elevate an understanding of Arabs in American and documenting their achievements.
Brian Katulis is Senior Fellow for US Foreign Policy at the Middle East Institute. He was formerly a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress (CAP), where he built the Center’s Middle East program and also worked on broader issues related to U.S. national security. He has produced influential studies that have shaped important discussions around regional policy, often providing expert testimony to key congressional committees on his findings. Katulis has also conducted extensive research in countries such as Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian territories. His past experience includes work at the National Security Council and the U.S. Departments of State and Defense.
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