Biden Faces ‘Uncommitted’ Votes In Primaries

A growing segment of Democrats are choosing not to vote for President Joe Biden because of his handling of the Israel-Hamas war. “Uncommitted” won two delegates in the Tuesday Michigan Democratic primary, and the “uncommitted” movement is looking toward more major swing states.

100,000 voters cast ballots for “uncommitted” in the Michigan Democratic primary, winning delegates in the sixth and twelfth congressional districts.

Leaders of the “uncommitted” movement include Rep Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and call for a total ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas War.

The movement hopes to keep its momentum going in other swing states like Minnesota, but Michigan’s relatively high population of Arab-American voters means that its success is unlikely to be replicated elsewhere, though the movement is gaining traction with college students and faculty.

Super Tuesday will likely reveal the movement’s staying power, with Colorado, Alabama, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont and Iowa all allowing uncommitted votes.

The Biden administration is hopeful about a potential ceasefire after an agreement for a temporary truce during Ramadan, but both Israel and Hamas seem doubtful regarding long-term peace.

Hamas has rejected multiple ceasefire attempts or given unreasonable criteria, making it unlikely that Biden will find a way to appease “uncommitted” voters.

Will this affect the election in November? Maybe. In a swing state like Michigan, those 100,000 “uncommitted” voters choosing not to show up could be the difference between victory and defeat for Biden, who faces concerningly low approval ratings, even among his own party.

Mitch Landrieu, the national co-chair of the Biden campaign and former mayor of New Orleans spoke to NPR regarding the Michigan “uncommitted” vote:

“There is no small number in an election that’s going to be razor-thin close. So every vote matters, and the president understands that and knows that, and will continue to work on that and listen to what folks’ concerns are.”

We’ll see after Super Tuesday whether the “uncommitted” movement will go beyond Michigan. Biden will just have to hope fighting in the Middle East doesn’t turn his voters’ attention toward Trump, who notably oversaw the Abraham Accords, for peace instead.