Organizers behind the Michigan campaign that protested President Biden’s “irresponsible” vote in the state’s Democratic primary declared victory Tuesday, even though the incumbent won easily.
“Tonight our movement won a victory that far exceeded our expectations. Many of the tens of thousands of Michigan Democrats who voted for Biden in 2020 committed to reelecting Biden because of the war in Gaza. We haven’t,” said Leila Elabd, campaign manager for Listen to Michigan.
The campaign, backed by Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib (Mich.) and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas), is asking Michiganders to vote in the presidential primary to send a message of dissatisfaction with Biden. He urged them to choose the “no-commitment” option. The administration’s response to the war in Gaza.
Biden was quickly expected to win the Great Lakes state, but his support for a “commitment” effort signaled a potential weakness among progressives and Arab Americans amid the Israeli-Hamas conflict. Suggests.
Decision Desk headquarters estimates that only a quarter of the votes were reported in the state, with “non-committals” winning nearly 15% of the vote, while Biden’s approval rating is around 80. %was.
In the past three Democratic presidential primaries in the state, Michigan’s “no-commitment” option has garnered about 20,000 votes. This year, this option has already received more than 30,000 votes, but turnout levels vary from cycle to cycle.
“We don’t want a Trump presidency, but Biden has put Netanyahu ahead of American democracy. If we pay in November for our disregard for Palestinian life, we will pay the price.” We can’t afford to pay that,” said Tlaib’s sister Elabed, a Palestinian-American activist.
He said he has seen “small changes in language” from Biden in response to pressure from his campaign, but “his words alone are not enough.”
Updated at 11:05 p.m.
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