Exclusive: Jill Stein says Harris lost because Dems "betrayed their ...

Democrats pleaded with Green Party candidate Jill Stein to stand down, arguing that she would draw crucial votes, undermining President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

She refused, and told Newsweek on Wednesday that Harris only has herself to blame for losing the Muslim vote in Michigan—and that the Democratic Party has lost its credibility.

Stein rejects the suggestion that she helped President-elect Donald Trump win in Michigan and elsewhere.

"Harris lost those votes to start with. In many ways, we were the competitor to Trump," she said.

The Green candidate said she was proud of her party's performance in Dearborn—and large parts of Michigan. Biden won in Dearborn by a 3-to-1 margin in 2020, but Trump took 47 percent this time around, with Harris at 28 percent and Stein at 22 percent.

She hailed the result as "affirming and uplifting," and claimed "voter suppression from the Democrat war room" meant her party's share of the vote across the country was not larger.

"We won 22% of the vote in Dearborn, and that feels great. There is a real movement here in Dearborn. It feels like a real alliance with the Muslim American community—and we will continue to build on that," she said.

When asked if she will run again in 2028, Stein said: "Not if I can help it!"

However, Stein, who placed Israel's wars with Hamas and Hezbollah front and center during her campaign, said she will continue to fight for peace in the Middle East. "The genocide isn't going away. There is a need for an opposition party," she said. Israel denies it is carrying out a genocide.

"When the goal is to stop a genocide, you have to keep going. Donald Trump is likely to disappoint his supporters. Bibi Netanyahu has no intention of laying down arms. There is no peace at hand.

"Donald Trump has no clue as to the drivers of the conflict here. This conflict is not settling down. Trump has shown no understanding of engaging in diplomacy. It's terrifying."

She said the Green Party will position itself as a party of opposition to Trump.

"Trump's victory underscores the Democrats are not an opposition party. They presented themselves as the lesser evil of the neocons," she said.

"If there is no progressive alternative, people will resort to right-wing populism."

As for the future of the Democrats, she says she does not see them coming back.

"The Democrats have really lost credibility. They are seen as bought and paid for … Their primaries are rigged, power is top down," she said.

"The Democrats betrayed their base—I don't see them coming back. The economic disparities are real. People are tired of the Democrats. They need to move over and allow a proper opposition."