Rashida Tlaib Is Not Popular in Michigan

Rashida Tlaib is not popular in Michigan, with an approval rating in negative figures.

Polling of eligible voters in the state was conducted exclusively for Newsweek by Redfield and Wilton Strategies. The survey found that more people disapprove than approve of the Michigan Democratic representative's job performance.

Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American member of Congress, was earlier this month censured in the House of Representatives by 234 votes to 188 for her use of the controversial slogan "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free." Tlaib has been censured too for urging lawmakers to join her in demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.

On October 7, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, which prompted the Israelis to carry out extensive airstrikes and a ground offensive against the militants in Gaza. As of December 1, more than 13,300 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, per the Associated Press.

Tlaib sparked controversy for her reaction to the conflict, using the contentious "river to the sea" chant. The Anti-Defamation League describes it as an antisemitic slogan for allegedly advocating for the dismantling of Israel. Tlaib said the chant references the Jordan River on Israel's eastern border and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, an "aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate."

New polling was carried out between November 25 and 26, weeks after the row, and the sample size was 860. It found that 30 percent of people said they disapproved of Tlaib's job performance, while 24 percent approved; 28 percent neither approved or disapproved. This makes Tlaib's net approval rating minus 6 percent.

However, she did receive a boost in the poll, with 33 percent saying they opposed the House of Representative's decision to censure Tlaib; 28 percent said they supported the move, and 26 percent said they neither supported nor opposed the decision.

Newsweek has contacted representatives for Tlaib to comment on this story.

Since being censured, Tlaib's campaign also made a fundraising plea, sending an email calling for donations, as seen by Newsweek.

With a link to donate to her campaign, the email said: "Donate today to stand up to those who seek to silence us as we work to ensure no one has to suffer or live in fear of violence."

Meanwhile, free-speech advocacy group Coolidge Reagan Foundation last week called on the State Bar of Michigan to probe Tlaib, who is an active attorney in the state, over her comments.

The foundation said: "The State Bar of Michigan should initiate an investigation and impose appropriate sanctions against an attorney who spreads antisemitic propaganda and lies in support of an officially designated Foreign Terrorist Organization."