President Joe Biden won the Michigan Democratic primary Tuesday evening where 117 delegates were up for grabs, but faced a campaign that encouraged voters to support the “uncommitted” ballot option in protest to his handling of the war in Gaza, according to The Associated Press.
A group of Arab and Muslim American activists encouraged Michigan Democratic voters who oppose Biden’s support of Israel following the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack to vote against the president in the primary to send a political message ahead of November. Still, Biden won over 78.8% of Democratic primary voters compared to the “uncommitted’s” 15.8%, and Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips secured 2.7% support, the AP projected at the time of writing.
Democratic lawmakers in the state have rallied around the “Listen To Michigan” campaign, which has encouraged voters to support the “uncommitted” ballot option rather than voting for Biden. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, whose sister, Layla Elabed, is the campaign manager for the group, has also endorsed the effort that views Biden’s support for Israel as “funding war and genocide in Gaza.”
Elabed’s 10,000 vote threshold to measure the “Listen To Michigan’s” success was surpassed, as over 20,000 individuals backed the “uncommitted” ballot option. The “uncommitted” ballot option has received a similar number of votes in recent cycles, but made up for only 1.2% of the share in 2020 and 1.8% in 2016.
The state has one of the largest populations of Arab and Muslim Americans in the country, with Dearborn, Michigan, accounting for a high concentration of the community. Michigan is home to roughly 200,000 registered Muslim voters, and approximately 145,000 participated in the 2020 election, according to the Michigan chapter of Emgage, which aims to boost Muslim turnout.
Biden only beat former President Donald Trump by 154,000 votes last cycle.
A similar effort, the Abandon Biden campaign, formed due to Biden’s refusal to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, and is urging Muslim Americans to vote for anyone but the president. The group is operating in Michigan and other battleground states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Trump also beat former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley 65.5% to 30.2% in the Michigan primary, according to the AP’s projection. Haley has yet to win a single nominating contest, and she lost her home state of South Carolina by roughly 20 points on Saturday.
The RealClearPolitics average for a potential 2024 rematch between Trump and Biden, based on polls conducted between Feb. 13 and Feb. 25, indicates the former president is leading by 2.1 points. Biden is also lagging behind in several crucial battleground states, including Michigan.
Mary Lou Masters on February 27, 2024
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