A super PAC, Future Coalition PAC, is using a strategy designed to alienate both Arab American and Jewish voters by promoting contrasting narratives about Vice President Kamala Harris’s Middle East policies, funded by a dark-money group supported by tech and auto billionaire Elon Musk, according to a financial disclosure made public on Tuesday.
The strategy works as follows: in Michigan areas with significant Arab and Muslim populations, Future Coalition PAC is running digital ads portraying Harris as a steadfast supporter of Israel. One ad refers to her and her husband, Doug Emhoff, as “America’s pro-Israel power couple,” while another describes Israel’s actions in Gaza as a noble fight. Jewish Democrats have criticized the ads, arguing that the focus on Emhoff is antisemitic.
Meanwhile, Future Coalition PAC is targeting Jewish voters in Pennsylvania with ads suggesting that Harris has been “pandering” to Palestinians. These ads question her support for withholding certain weapons from Israel and allege she showed sympathy for anti-Israel college protests. The goal is to pull both Jewish and Arab American voters away from Harris in key swing states, indirectly benefiting former President Donald Trump’s campaign.
Musk is a significant contributor
Funding details for Future Coalition PAC reveal that it receives its budget from Building America’s Future, a nonprofit that doesn’t disclose individual donors. However, reports indicate that Musk, who has increasingly aligned with Trump’s political efforts, is a significant contributor. The New York Times has reported that Building America’s Future has raised about $100 million from a small group of corporate and individual donors over the past four years. The group also funds other PACs that target specific voter demographics to sway them away from the Democratic Party.
This divisive advertising approach has drawn criticism from leaders in both communities. Halie Soifer, CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, condemned the ads as attempts to exploit bigotry and disinformation to divide voters. Meanwhile, Jim Zogby, founder of the Arab American Institute, has criticized Harris’s lack of response to these ads and has called for her to address Arab American voters directly on Middle East policy issues.
