LANSING, Mich. — Vice President Kamala Harris has secured the endorsement of one of the nation’s largest Muslim American voter mobilization groups, marking a significant boost to her campaign since many Muslim and Arab American organizations have opted to support third-party candidates or not endorse.

Emgage Action, the political arm of an 18-year-old Muslim American advocacy group, endorsed Harris’ presidential campaign on Wednesday, saying in a statement provided first to The Associated Press that the group “recognizes the responsibility to defeat” former President Donald Trump in November.

The group, based in Washington, D.C., operates in eight states, with a significant presence in the key battlegrounds of Michigan and Pennsylvania.

The organization will now focus its ongoing voter-outreach efforts on supporting Harris and down-ballot candidates.

“This endorsement is not agreement with Vice President Harris on all issues, but rather, an honest guidance to our voters regarding the difficult choice they confront at the ballot box,” Wa’el Alzayat, CEO of Emgage Action, said in a statement. “While we do not agree with all of Harris’ policies, particularly on the war on Gaza, we are approaching this election with both pragmatism and conviction.”

The endorsement follows months of tension between Arab American and Muslim groups and Democratic leaders over the Biden administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war. Many of these groups, including leaders of the “Uncommitted” movement focused on protesting the war, have chosen not to endorse any candidate in the presidential race.

The conflict in the Middle East has escalated since Iran-backed Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which killed some 1,200 people. Israel’s offensive in response has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Israel in recent days also has expanded its air campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah, with strikes on Lebanon killing at least 560 people, including many women and children, making it the deadliest bombardment since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.

Trump’s campaign dismissed the significance of the endorsement.

“Once again, national organizations’ endorsements aren’t matching up to what the people suffering from four years of Kamala Harris believe,” Victoria LaCivita, Trump’s communications director for Michigan, said Wednesday. She added that Trump had won the endorsement of Democrat Amer Ghalib, the Muslim mayor of Hamtramck, Michigan.

“Voters across the country know that President Trump is the right candidate for ALL Americans, and he will ensure peace and safety in our country and around the world,” LaCivita said.

Meanwhile, both presidential candidates were scheduled to deliver dueling speeches Wednesday that reflect how they’re honing their economic messages for voters in battleground states.

Both are trying to counter criticism of them while laying out their best case for a public that still worries about the economy’s health.

Harris was set to speak at the Economic Club of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, where she plans to stress a “pragmatic” philosophy while outlining new policies to boost domestic manufacturing, according to a senior campaign official who sought anonymity to describe the upcoming address.

Trump delivered a speech in Mint Hill, North Carolina, in which he claimed the economy was weak, despite inflation easing and the unemployment rate at a healthy 4.2%.

The candidates are each emphasizing the economy at a time when polls show that it is one of the most important issues for voters as they consider which candidate to support.

A recent AP-NORC poll found that neither candidate has a decisive edge with the public on the issue.