Vice President Kamala Harris' decision to team with former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney could backfire in Michigan, where Cheney is deeply unpopular with a critical swing state voter bloc.

“It was surprising to us as Arab Americans that Kamala Harris brought with her someone whose family name always reminds us of war crimes in the Middle East,” Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib told reporters in an online call Monday. Liz Cheney's father, Dick Cheney, was vice president under former President George W. Bush and a strong supporter of the 2003 Iraq War.

The comments come as Harris went on a three-state battleground tour with Cheney, a Republican who has long feuded with former President Donald Trump and opposed his re-election. That tour landed in southeast Michigan in Royal Oak, where Cheney met with Harris for a town hall-style event and implored moderate Republicans to join her in supporting Harris.

“I would say I don’t know if anyone is more conservative than me. And I understand that the most conservative value there is is to defend the Constitution,” Cheney told viewers.

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Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a post-debate watch party with former President Trump at the Cherry Street Pier in Philadelphia on September 10, 2024. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

But while Harris hopes the former Republican lawmaker could help her attract additional voters in what promises to be a tough race for Michigan, Cheney's visit to the state drew the ire of a group normally inclined to support Democrats.

“The Arab-American community, I think, is very disappointed,” said Ghalib, who has now supported Trump in the election. “Bringing this person into our backyard to remind us all of the tragedies in the Middle East is something that tells us there would be more wars if Kamala Harris were elected.”

Harris' battle with Michigan's Arab-American population preceded her rise to the top of the list as a movement from Dearborn, Michigan, initially gained momentum to oppose President Biden's re-election over dissatisfaction with the administration's handling of the conflict to oppose the government in the Gaza Strip.

Many community leaders were willing to give Harris a chance when she replaced Biden as nominee over the summer, but the gap between her and the critical bloc appears to have widened in the months since.

Vice President Kamala Harris answers questions during a town hall meeting with former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney on October 21, 2024 in Brookfield, Wisconsin. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

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“It's very, very disappointing and kind of disgusting to bring anyone, Cheney, here,” Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bazzi said in the same call. “There is no peace in the family.”

Trump appears to have gained momentum in Michigan in recent weeks, with the latest Real Clear Politics poll average showing him up 1.2 points in the state. Although it's still a close race, Trump's lead represents a dramatic change from late August, when Harris held a 2.2-point lead over the former president. Meanwhile, the state has moved from “lean Democratic” to “troubled” in the latest version of Fox News’ power rankings.

Both mayors have supported Trump in the upcoming election, while Ghalib argued that Harris bringing Cheney to the state would only serve to alienate more members of the Muslim community.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney will meet for campaign events in three key states, starting with Malvern, Pennsylvania, on October 21, 2024. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

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“It was a huge insult to our community for her to come with Cheney,” Ghalib said. “I don't know how this is going to help her…I think it's just a stupid move…it can only hurt.”

The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.