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'We Need Joe Biden to Listen': 100,000+ Michigan Primary Voters Mark Uncommitted
The results "represent a historic inflection point for creating a Democratic Party that aligns with the majority of its voters who want a cease-fire," said one organizer.
Feb 28, 2024
More than 100,900 Michigan voters marked "uncommitted" on their ballots during the swing state's Democratic presidential primary on Tuesday, a signal to President Joe Biden that his continued support for Israel's war on Gaza is angering key elements of his base and potentially threatening his reelection chances.
Leaders and supporters of the Listen to Michigan campaign made clear that their goal was not to harm Biden's general election prospects, but rather to convince him to change course on Gaza, where the U.S.-armed Israeli military has killed nearly 30,000 people in less than five months.
In 2020, Biden defeated former President Donald Trump—his likely general election opponent in November—by 150,000 votes in Michigan, and Trump defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton four years earlier by roughly 11,000 votes.
"We need Joe Biden to listen to the voice of Michiganders," Layla Elabed, campaign manager for Listen to Michigan and the sister of Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), told reporters late Tuesday. "Listen to the voice of his core constituents and demand a permanent cease-fire now and the ending of this unconditional, unchecked funding to Israel."
Biden handily won Michigan's primary on Tuesday with just over 81% of the vote. But "uncommitted" garnered the support of over 13% of primary voters, beating Marianne Williamson—who suspended her campaign before the contest—and Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) and far surpassing organizers' expectations. By comparison, fewer than 20,000 Michigan voters chose "uncommitted" in the 2020 Democratic primary.
In Hamtramck and Dearborn—cities with strong Arab American and Muslim populations—the incumbent Democratic president lost to "uncommitted" by significant margins on Tuesday. Many Michigan residents have lost family members to Israel's war on Gaza, which the Biden administration has fueled with weapons and diplomatic support.
"Tens of thousands of Michigan Democrats, many of whom voted for Biden in 2020, are uncommitted to his reelection due to the war in Gaza," the Listen to Michigan campaign wrote on social media. "President Biden has funded the bombs falling on the family members of people who live right here in Michigan. People who voted for him, who now feel completely betrayed. President Biden, listen to Michigan. Count us out, Joe."
"Count Michigan uncommitted for funding of war and genocide in Gaza," the campaign continued. "While we've noticed a small shift in language from Biden as a direct result of this campaign’s pressure, we know that his words are not enough. This isn't a messaging problem, this is a funding bombs problem."
Stressing that "we don't want a Trump presidency," the campaign said Biden "has put [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu ahead of American democracy."
"The only way to achieve freedom and justice for Palestinians surviving a genocide is through an immediate and permanent cease-fire. The only way to ensure the safe return of all hostages and prisoners is through an immediate and permanent cease-fire," Listen to Michigan continued. "Our delegation plans to hold the Democratic nominee accountable to our community's anti-war agenda at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. See you there."
"Quite frankly, none of us want Trump to win, which is exactly why we're doing this."
Organizers said late Tuesday that they expect "uncommitted" to receive at least one delegate to the Democratic convention. The New York Timesnoted that "under Michigan's Democratic primary rules, candidates can receive delegates by earning at least 15% of the vote in a specific congressional district."
In a statement on the primary results, Biden thanked "every Michigander who made their voice heard today" but did not specifically acknowledge the "uncommitted" campaign, which faced last-minute attacks from a billionaire-funded AIPAC ally that is also working to unseat progressive Democratic lawmakers who have backed a cease-fire in Gaza.
A survey released Tuesday by Data for Progress found that 57% of likely U.S. voters disapprove of Biden's handling of the Israel-Palestine conflict and 67%—including 77% of Democrats—support a permanent cease-fire in Gaza.
Elabed said Tuesday that the primary results "represent a historic inflection point for creating a Democratic Party that aligns with the majority of its voters who want a cease-fire and end to unrestricted weapons funding for Israel's war and occupation against the Palestinian people."
Gaby Santiago-Romero, a member of the Detroit City Council and supporter of the Listen to Michigan campaign, told the Times that "we are no longer in a position to beg Democrats to listen to us."
"Quite frankly, none of us want Trump to win, which is exactly why we're doing this," said Santiago-Romero. "This is the only way we can raise a flag to Democrats that you are going to lose unless you call for an ultimate cease-fire."
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Tlaib Urges Michigan to Send Biden a Message on Gaza by Voting Uncommitted
A critic of U.S. support for Israel's war on the besieged enclave, the only Palestinian American in Congress stressed the importance of creating "a voting bloc, something that is a bullhorn to say enough is enough."
Feb 18, 2024
Speaking outside an early voting site on Saturday, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib urged fellow Michigan Democrats to vote uncommitted in the February 27 primary to send President Joe Biden a message about U.S. support for Israel as it wages a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.
According toThe Detroit News, Tlaib "is the first member of Congress in Michigan and the highest-profile official to date to get behind the Listen to Michigan campaign," which launched earlier this month and is led by her sister, Dearborn community organizer Layla Elabed.
The only Palestinian American in Congress, Tlaib recorded a 70-second video—shared on social media by the campaign—outside the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn, which is open for early voting February 17-25 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
"It is important, as you all know, to not only march against the genocide, not only make sure that we're calling our members of Congress and local electeds and passing city resolutions all throughout our country," Tlaib said. "It is also important to create a voting bloc, something that is a bullhorn to say enough is enough. We don't want a country that supports wars and bombs and destruction. We want to support life. We want to stand up for every single life killed in Gaza."
Since declaring war in retaliation for a Hamas-led attack on October 7, Israel has been widely accused of genocide, including in a South Africa-led case before the International Court of Justice. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have killed nearly 29,000 Palestinians in Gaza and destroyed homes, hospitals, schools, mosques, and other civilian infrastructure.
Though Biden said Friday that he has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that "I feel very strongly... there has to be a temporary cease-fire... to get the hostages out," the president has also rejected growing global demands for a permanent cease-fire, publicly cast doubt on the death toll from officials in Hamas-governed Gaza, bypassed Congress to arm the IDF, and sought a $14 billion package on top of the almost $4 billion in annual U.S. military aid to Israel.
"I want you to think of all of the amazing young children and the people—again, lives were lost in Gaza," Tlaib said in the video for Listen to Michigan. "This is the way you can raise our voices. Don't make us even more invisible. Right now, we feel completely neglected and just unseen by our government. If you want us to be louder, then come here and vote uncommitted."
As NBC Newsreported Saturday:
Asked about Tlaib's message urging voters to vote uncommitted in the Democratic primary, Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes reiterated support for Biden.
"President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were elected because they promised to deliver for Michigan's families, workers, and communities—and they kept their promises," he told NBC News.
However, there has been mounting frustration with the president in Michigan, a swing state that Biden narrowly won in 2020 and which is home to significant numbers of Arab and Muslim Americans, including many with relatives impacted by the war.
Dozens of city council members, mayors, state representatives, and other current and former elected officials have endorsed the campaign urging Michiganders to vote uncommitted in the Democratic primary, as has Our Revolution, which has plans for phone and text banking as well as events on college campuses.
Biden "has lost the people," Abbas Alawieh, a Dearborn activist involved in Listen to Michigan, toldUSA Today. "People feel not a vague sense of betrayal. People feel a deep sense of betrayal, a bone-deep sense of betrayal."
"It's time for him to take action, and he's failing to do so," Alawieh said of Biden. "And that's going to have political consequences."
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Arab, Muslim Leaders in Michigan Refuse to Meet Biden Campaign
"I will not entertain conversations about elections while we watch a livestreamed genocide backed by our government," said Dearborn's mayor.
Jan 26, 2024
U.S. President Joe Biden narrowly won Michigan in 2020, but his reelection campaign's trip to the key swing state on Friday made clear that his support for Israel's war on the Gaza Strip is angering Arab American and Muslim voters.
Assad Turfe, a deputy Wayne County executive, was coordinating a Friday afternoon meeting with Biden's delegation, led by campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodríguez. He reached out to over 10 Arab and Muslim leaders in the Dearborn area.
"As the community got to learn about the meeting, there was definitely a lot of outrage and, ultimately, the decision was made to cancel the meeting," he told The Detroit News, adding that the cancellation was "in the best interest of the community."
Turfe also publicly warned the Democrat's campaign that "unless something drastic happens, you have lost the Arab American and Muslim community."
"At this point, from what I can see, there's no winning them over. That was the idea of the meeting," he said. "Until there's a cease-fire, the overall consensus in the community is they're not welcome here, essentially."
Democratic Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud was among the local leaders who declined an invitation to the scrapped meeting.
"The lives of Palestinians are not measured in poll numbers. Their humanity demands action, not lip service. When elected officials view the atrocities in Gaza only as an electoral problem, they reduce our indescribable pain into a political calculation," Hammoud said on social media Friday, noting that Israel's U.S.-backed war has now killed over 26,000 Palestinians.
"Our immediate demand is crystal clear: The Biden administration must call for a permanent cease-fire to a genocide it is defending and funding with our tax dollars," he continued. "Dearborn residents have tirelessly protested and organized in demand of a cease-fire. As their mayor, I follow their lead."
Hammoud added that "community engagement is powerful when it is used to shape policies that save lives—these conversations must be had with policymakers, not campaign staff. I will not entertain conversations about elections while we watch a livestreamed genocide backed by our government."
The canceled meeting was set to be held on the same day that the International Court of Justice issued its initial ruling in the South African-led case accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza—to which the U.S. government responded by making clear it would not push Israel to end the devastating military assault.
Others who were invited to the meeting include state Reps. Alabas Farhat (D-3) and Abraham Aiyash (D-4), Michigan's House majority floor leader, who said on social media that "we will not allow our communities to be utilized for political expediency."
I highlight this for several reasons:\n\nMichigan has a significant Arab and Muslim community. \n\nMichigan is a critical state this November. \n\nI am the highest ranking Arab and Muslim state elected in Michigan, and the lack of outreach only suggests there isn\u2019t a legitimate concern\u2026— (@)
Farhat said that he agreed with the decision to cancel the meeting.
"This pushback is not just about failed policy—it's about humanity," he explained. "It's unrealistic to expect that political conversations will re-secure our support for the president when only a cease-fire can truly reopen that door."
Citing an unnamed source familiar with Rodríguez's schedule, The Associated Pressreported that she still "held multiple meetings across Detroit and Dearborn that have been in the works for weeks, and that included talking with many Michigan leaders, such as local elected officials and leaders from the state's Arab and Palestinian American, Hispanic, and Black communities."
According to the AP:
"People in the community, like community leaders, don't want to meet with Mr. Biden," said Dawud Walid, the executive director of Michigan's chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "I don't know who he's planning on meeting with, but the major organizations are not interested in meeting with him."
Hundreds gathered Friday for an "Abandon Biden" rally movement at the Islamic Center of Detroit that included prominent civil rights activist Imam Omar Suleiman. The event was timed for when organizers heard Rodríguez would be visiting to urge otherwise sympathetic voters not to support Biden in November.
The frosty reception to the president's team came just two days after the United Auto Workers formally backed his reelection—after which Reuters reported that "a Biden campaign official said this endorsement will mean more in November in Michigan than the anger among Muslim voters in the state over the administration's support for Israel."
Turfe suggested Friday that the Biden administration is misreading voters and clearly does not "understand how big of a problem this is and how upset and angry the community is."
With recent wins in the GOP's Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, former President Donald Trump is expected to face Biden in November, despite his ongoing legal trouble.
In response to how the president's campaign handled Michigan on Friday, Nina Turner, a senior fellow at the Institute on Race, Power, and Political Economy, warned that "Biden is throwing away electoral support to back a right-wing Israeli government that would prefer Trump wins in 2024."
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