Washington, DC – On Friday, October 12, 2012, the Romney campaign announced “Arab Americans for Romney,” a national coalition of Arab American supporters of Gov. Mitt Romney’s bid for the presidency of the United States.

In a statement released by the campaign, Governor Romney stated:

“I am very proud to have so many distinguished Arab-Americans on my team,” said Mitt Romney. “This country has been a beacon to people around the globe. The American Dream belongs to the world, but lately, it has been harder to pursue that dream. I am committed to bringing prosperity to the United States and creating the good jobs that foster opportunity and will inspire another generation of dreamers. Together, we will restore America to the land of possibility it has always been.”
“Like the rest of the country, many Arab Americans are concerned with the direction the country is heading,” said Arab American Institute Chairman, Hon. George R. Salem who serves as National Co-Chair of “Arab Americans for Romney” and is also a member of Gov. Romney’s Labor Committee. “Our polling shows that the overwhelming majority of Arab Americans, 82 percent, consider jobs and the economy the most important issue facing the country. Mitt Romney understands that Arab Americans, who are business owners, doctors, lawyers and public servants, have a lot at stake this election and are an extremely important constituency in the race for the White House.”

In September, the Arab American Institute released a poll on how Arab Americans are likely to vote this November. The poll found that 16% of Arab American voters remain undecided about what presidential candidate they will vote for in November. The 16% of undecided voters represents over 100,000 people in five key swing states alone, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Florida, Ohio, andVirginia.

National Honorary Chairs, “Arab Americans for Romney”
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA)
Rep. Richard Hanna (R-NY)
Former Sen. Spencer Abraham (R-MI)
Former Sen. John E. Sununu (R-NH)

National Co-Chairs,  “Arab Americans for Romney”
Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI)
Samah Norquist
Del. David Ramadan
Hon. George R. Salem

AAI maintains the most extensive public archive of Arab and American public opinion data on issues relating to Arabs, Muslims and U.S. policy in the region. View AAI's opinion polls.

Established in 1985 and based in Washington, DC, the Arab American Institute (AAI) is a non-profit, nonpartisan national leadership organization. AAI was created to nurture and encourage the direct participation of Arab Americans in political and civic life in the United States.