Jill Stein could serve as a spoiler candidate in swing states thanks to Muslim voters: Poll

Democrats have considered Stein a spoiler candidate in the 2016 election between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Trump, which saw Trump narrowly defeat Clinton because of Stein's popularity in several swing states.

By Misty Severi

Published: September 9, 2024 8:56pm

Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein could serve as a spoiler candidate again in critical swing states this November, due to a surge of support from Muslim voters who are disgruntled with both mainstream political parties.

A poll from the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) revealed on Monday that Stein was the most popular candidate among Muslim voters in Arizona (with 35%), Michigan (40%), and Wisconsin (44%). Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris was most popular among likely Muslim voters in Georgia (43%) and Pennsylvania (37%), while former President Donald Trump led in Nevada with 27%.

Some Democrats have considered Stein a spoiler candidate in the 2016 election between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Trump, which saw Trump narrowly defeat Clinton because of Stein's popularity in several swing states.

The poll noted that Stein and Harris were virtually tied overall, with 29.4% of Muslim voters stating they would vote Harris and 29.1% preferring Stein. Approximately 11% said they support Trump over the other candidates, and 4.2% said they prefer Cornel West. But 16.5% of respondents are still undecided.

“These new survey findings make it clear that American Muslim voters have the potential to determine the outcomes in several key battleground states and that they are still up for grabs in the 2024 election,” CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw said in a statement.

“Candidates running for office cannot afford to overlook the issues that matter most to Muslim Americans," he continued. "Ignoring this community or taking their votes for granted could be a costly mistake, particularly in swing states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, and Wisconsin, where elections are often won by narrow margins."

The survey was conducted from Aug. 25 through Aug. 27, and polled 1,155 registered Muslim voters. It had a margin of error of plus and minus 2.95 percentage points.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.