Jill Stein: Who is the Arab Americans' favourite for the 2024 US election?

The Green Party candidate, supportive of Palestinian rights and safety, is criticised for helping Trump win

US Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein at a protest against the Israeli operations in Gaza and US weapons sales to Israel in Washington on July 24, 2024. EPA

Dr Jill Stein, an American physician and environmentalist, is the leading 2024 presidential candidate for Arab-American voters in November's election, but who is the third-party candidate?

A recent poll by the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee found that she gathered more than 45 per cent support from Arab Americans surveyed, beating the 27.5 per cent support for the presumed Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris.

“I'm very hopeful about where we're going together, and however far we get in this election is our springboard for a continuing struggle and continuing triumph,” Dr Stein told The National.

Take a look at who the Green Party candidate is:

Her early life

Dr Stein, 74, was born in Chicago and grew up in a Reform Jewish household before attending Harvard.

She first studied psychology, sociology and anthropology for a bachelor's degree at Harvard College, before graduating from Harvard Medical School in 1979.

Dr Stein practised internal medicine at several medical centres in Boston, Massachusetts, for 25 years afterwards.

Beginning her political career with the Green-Rainbow Party in the liberal East Coast US state, she ran for governor twice, in 2002 and in 2010, but lost both times.

She was elected for local office in a state precinct in 2005 and served for nearly two terms.

Past electoral runs

Her 2024 presidential campaign is her third, albeit long-shot, attempt at the White House.

Dr Stein's run in 2016 is probably her most well-known. Critics say people who voted for her in battleground states prevented a Democratic win for Hillary Clinton, ensuring Republican Donald Trump's election.

She later raised millions of dollars for recounts after Mr Trump's surprise 2016 victory.

Her allegations yielded only one electoral review in Wisconsin, which showed Mr Trump had won.

Her first campaign was for presidency in 2012, when she heralded a national environmental government spending plan called the Green New Deal, which aimed to introduce thousands of clean climate jobs for Americans.

Her 2024 hopes

Dr Stein launched her current campaign accusing Democrats of betraying their promises “for working people, youth and the climate again and again – while Republicans don’t even make such promises in the first place”.

She is campaigning on being anti-war, ensuring universal health care for Americans and introducing the Green New Deal.

After 2016, Democrats are criticising her for another long-shot campaign that could take away important swing state votes for their candidate's electoral win.

Arab-American support

The Arab-American voter demographic is warming up to Dr Stein's views for Palestinian human rights, humanitarian aid needs and the end to the war in Gaza.

“I'm so uplifted to see the dialogue that I've been having with the larger Arab-American community for quite some time now,” she said of meetings she has held with members of the community since the start of the year.

Dr Stein said that there was a mutual understanding and “collaboration” on the need to end hostilities in Gaza.

“The Grim Reaper is at work right now all over Gaza and too many lives are on the line,” she said to The National.

“This is about people with a moral vision and a moral imperative to stand up and to save lives right now."

Dr Stein has criticised President Joe Biden and his administration for their steadfast support of Israel, asserting that it would threaten his re-election bid before he ended his campaign.

Her stance has not changed after Ms Harris gained the support of the Democratic Party as the presidential nominee.

“I don't see her support as growing,” she said. “I think it's highly likely to absolutely erode.”

Citing Ms Harris's speeches with Jewish lobbying group Aipac and little change from the Biden policy, Dr Stein said that the Arab-American community recognises where the Vice President stands amid the “propaganda”.

“The fact that they have not made larger inroads into the Arab-American community I think is a real tribute to the wisdom and the integrity of the Arab-American community,” she said.