Aishah Al-Sehaim, a 38-year-old clinical data scientist and Arab American from the Democratic-leaning suburb of St. Louis Park, Minnesota, expresses deep concern over the devastating toll of the conflict between Israel and Gaza, where 30,000 Palestinians have lost their lives.
Despite her distress over the situation, she remains committed to voting for Democrat Joe Biden in the upcoming election. For Aishah, her decision to support Biden stems primarily from her desire to prevent Republican Donald Trump from remaining in power.
She prioritizes halting what she perceives as the potential for further deterioration in both national and international affairs under Trump’s leadership.
Her stance reflects a pragmatic approach to voting, driven more by a sense of urgency to prevent worsening circumstances than by optimism for immediate change.
While she acknowledges the limitations of her vote in effecting immediate solutions to pressing issues like the conflict in Gaza, she believes that supporting Biden offers the best chance to mitigate further challenges on both domestic and global fronts.
Aishah’s perspective underscores the complexity of voter motivations and the weight of considerations beyond any single issue.
Like many others, she grapples with the tension between her concerns about specific policy areas and the broader imperative of choosing the candidate she believes will lead to the most favorable overall outcomes for the country and the world.