(NewsNation) — Ahead of the Michigan primary, a campaign within the Democratic party is pushing people to vote uncommitted in protest of President Joe Biden’s stance on the Israel-Hamas war.
Michigan’s presidential primary on Tuesday will offer a serious test of Biden’s ability to navigate dissent within his own party over his response to Israel’s war with Hamas.
Each party’s ballot has a vote position for “uncommitted.” When a voter selects “uncommitted”, this indicates the voter is exercising a vote for that political party but is not committed to any of the candidates listed on the ballot.
If enough voters cast “uncommitted” votes, the party may send delegates to the national nominating convention who are not committed to a specific candidate, according to the City of Portage, MI, website.
Biden is facing intense pressure to press for a permanent cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, to the point that a core group of elected officials has joined a campaign to promote backing “uncommitted” instead of the president this coming Tuesday.
The effort has the backing of Rep. Rashida Tlaib, former Rep. Andy Levin and local leaders from throughout southeastern Michigan, including Dearborn, where nearly 55% of residents are of Middle Eastern or North African ancestry, according to Census figures.
The potential of an “uncommitted” win is highly unlikely. But if that option receives notable double-digit support, it could serve as an early warning sign for Biden heading into the general election, signaling that core Democratic constituents won’t simply fall in line with the president.
That’s critical for Biden because if these voters stay home in November, the state could slip away, raising pressure on him to flip other Republican-leaning states such as North Carolina, Florida or Ohio.
“Well, I’m not sure what we’re going to see on Tuesday, to tell you the truth,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D, said Sunday when asked about the “uncommitted” vote. “I do know that we have got about nine months until the general election, and we are taking Michigan very seriously, as they should. Michigan’s always a state where the election is close.”
The Michigan contest is the final major race before the election calendar broadens dramatically on Super Tuesday, March 5. That’s when more than a dozen states will hold elections with thousands of delegates at stake.
NewsNation’s Urja Sinha, The Hill and The Associated Press contributed to this report.