Cian McKeown, Staff Writer
ANN ARBOR MICHIGAN- In the weeks leading up to Michigan’s Democratic Primary election, which occurred on February 27, students on the campus of the University of Michigan and members of the Arab-American community held large protests to encourage voters to cast an “uncommitted” ballot, essentially a vote of no confidence in incumbent President Joe Biden. The movement was organized by the group Listen to Michigan and was mostly concerned with President Joe Biden’s support of Israel in the Israel-Palestine conflict.
The most critical the President has been of Israel is calling the government’s bombings of civilians in the Gaza Strip “over the top.” Michigan’s prominent Arab-American diaspora was angered over this and Biden’s reluctance to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
This resulted in 100,000 voters turning out to oppose Biden, thirteen-and-a-half percent of the total votes counted. While this may seem insignificant, especially considering Biden’s eighty-one percent, Listen to Michigan set their generous expectations at 50,000 votes. Their goal was to send a message to Biden that if he does not change his stance, it could have broader consequences for the general election in November. Biden won Michigan in the 2020 Presidential election by 150,000 votes, and public sentiment may grow more negative as the days without a ceasefire increase. Additionally, taking a loss in a crucial swing state like Michigan could legitimately dampen Biden’s hopes of retaining the White House in 2024. Minnesota and Washington State will also hold their primaries this coming week and March 12 respectively, and there are already growing movements in those states to drive more votes toward an “uncommitted” or “no preference” ballot, which each state has as an option for voters.
Asma Mohammed, a leftist activist and key organizer of a new group called Uncommitted Minnesota said this to the New York Times on the purpose of an uncommitted vote: “We are against a Trump presidency, and we also want Biden to be better. If that means pushing him to his limit, that is what it will take.” This primary is a clear representation of the divide between democratic voters in the coming election, those who are dissatisfied or not entirely happy with the job the President has been doing, but fear another Trump presidency so much that they believe it is counterproductive to take a stand against him, and progressives who are disgruntled enough about Biden’s choices to be highly critical of him in the polls and primaries.
The Biden Campaign has to decide over the next few months how much these results really scare them, and what policy adjustments they must make to ensure the security of their mission to beat Donald Trump in November.
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