Source: The Star Tribune

http://www.startribune.com/stories/484/4645885.html

On March 5, 2004 The Star Tribune reported that "in states such as Michigan with a large Islamic population, [Arab-Americans] are hoping to exert a significant influence on the 2004 presidential race. Most are motivated by their desire to oust President Bush, whom they have turned against with a vengeance since 9/11... Bush, who narrowly lost Michigan in 2000, has made the state one of his high priorities this year. Four years ago, Bush was strongly supported by Arab-American voters in Michigan and elsewhere. He was the first presidential candidate to win the endorsement of the Muslim Public Affairs Council and several other Arab-American advocacy groups. And during the initial months of his presidency, he enjoyed high approval ratings in polls of Arab-Americans, topping out at 83 percent in the immediate aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001. It has been downhill from there, as many Arab-Americans have recoiled from the administration's war against terrorism, its handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Patriot Act, which many in the community regard as a weapon to undercut Arab-American rights. The most recent poll commissioned by the Arab-American Institute showed that Bush's approval rating has slumped to 38 percent among Arab-Americans. In a matchup against an unnamed Democratic candidate, Bush would lose 40 to 28 percent."