Joe Biden won Michigan’s Democratic primary, but a concerted effort by anti-war activists to cast a “holdout” vote in the race could overshadow his victory.
The President of the United States faces no real primary challenger in the election. But in the weeks leading up to the primary, a “no pledge” movement formed to protest his continued support for Israel’s war in Gaza, signaling the anger and betrayal of the state among some Arab Americans and young voters. The degree is profound.
The group pushing for a no-pledge option — called Hear Michigan — has set a primary goal of 10,000 no-pledge votes, roughly the margin by which Biden won Michigan in 2020 same. With only 17% of the votes counted, “No Commitment” had received nearly 23,000 votes. For context, when then-President Barack Obama ran uncontested in the 2012 race, about 21,000 people voted “no vote” against him in the state’s primary, and about 194,000 overall People vote.
Members of the Hear Michigan campaign gathered in a Dearborn banquet hall after the polls closed at 8 p.m. Attendees, many wearing black and white headscarves, welcomed and celebrated the turnout for what has been an “uncommitted” campaign so far. Before turning the microphone over to a series of campaign speakers, Listen Michigan spokesman Abbas Alawieh held a moment of silence, “for every person who has been deprived of American taxpayer funds and bombs prematurely.” Those who took away our lives” observed a moment of silence.
Organizers of a “leave no stone unturned” effort called the night’s results a victory for their campaign to demonstrate unwavering support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza against Biden in the key swing state.
“Thank you to our local and national progressive organizations and our conscientious voters who used our democratic process to vote against war, genocide and the destruction of people and land,” Leila Elrabed, who launched the movement in early February (Layla Elabed) said.
Former Congressman Andy Levin, a prominent early local supporter of the push to get out the vote, called “Uncommitted” the movement a “child of necessity” and said the turnout so far was a “huge victory.” ”.
“Without security, peace, freedom and justice for the Palestinian people, there is no hope for security and peace for the Jewish people,” Levin said to cheers.
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The “Listening Michigan” campaign aims to warn Biden before the election that he should reverse his so far staunch support for Israel’s campaign in Gaza, which has killed nearly 30,000 Palestinians. But the campaign is particularly important in Michigan given the state’s large Arab-American population, a group that strongly supported Biden in 2020.
But it’s unclear how many “uncommitted” voters are prepared to abandon Biden in this November’s election, when he is likely to face Donald Trump, who campaigned on promises to restore and expand Muslim membership. Travel ban.
