{"id":2186478,"date":"2024-02-26T06:29:02","date_gmt":"2024-02-26T11:29:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/michigan-uncommitted-protest-vote-poised-to-be-warning-sign-for-biden-in-november\/"},"modified":"2024-02-26T06:34:28","modified_gmt":"2024-02-26T11:34:28","slug":"michigan-uncommitted-protest-vote-poised-to-be-warning-sign-for-biden-in-november","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/michigan-uncommitted-protest-vote-poised-to-be-warning-sign-for-biden-in-november\/","title":{"rendered":"Michigan&#8217;s undecided protest vote could serve as a cautionary signal for Biden in the upcoming November election"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmichigan-uncommitted-protest-vote-poised-to-be-warning-sign-for-biden-in-november%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2186478&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Great Stakes:\u200b The Fight for Victory in Michigan<\/h2>\n<h3>Part One: Arab American \u200dand Muslim Voters Protest Biden&#8217;s Israel Policy<\/h3>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Michigan\u2062 voters have an\u2064 outsized impact on who will win the White House, and which party will carry \u2064the House and\u2064 Senate in 2024. In this series, the Washington Examiner will look at the thorny politics \u200band\u200c unique issues that will swing the critical battleground state.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>DEARBORN, Michigan \u2014 Michigan&#8217;s\u2064 Democratic presidential\u2064 primary this week will underscore the political repercussions of the Israel-Hamas war\u2062 for President Joe Biden \u200bbefore November&#8217;s\u200c general \u200delection.<\/p>\n<p>More than\u2062 four months since Hamas \u200dslaughtered more than a thousand Israelis and took hundreds more \u2062hostage\u200b on Oct. 7, Israel&#8217;s pledge to rid the world of the terrorist organization has divided the international\u2063 community and the Democratic Party, with \u2064supporters\u200c of Palestinians in Michigan,\u200b a battleground state, promising not to vote for Biden in Tuesday&#8217;s primary or to \u200bmark themselves as\u2064 &#8220;uncommitted&#8221; in protest of his response to \u200bthe\u2064 war.<\/p>\n<p>Michigan&#8217;s Arab and Muslim Americans are &#8220;really energized&#8221; politically right now, according to Dawud Walid, \u200cexecutive\u2062 director of the Council on \u200cAmerican-Islamic Relations&#8217;s Michigan chapter, cognizant that they could &#8220;decide who is the next president \u2064of the United States of America.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Michigan is \u200can important swing state and, overall, a \u200bmajority \u2064of Michigan Muslims are arguably\u200c disgusted with the Biden administration&#8217;s not only\u200c mishandling of the war\u200c on Gaza but the active arming with weapons of \u200cthe Israeli military that is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-israel-helps-thousands-of-gazans-evacuate-after-hamas-tried-to-trap-them\/\" title=\"VIDEO: Israel aids Gaza residents escape as Hamas attempts to ensnare them.\">committing war\u200c crimes<\/a> and\u2062 in front of the International Criminal Court of Justice as we speak,&#8221; \u2064Walid said.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Part One: Arab American and Muslim\u2064 Voters Protest Biden&#8217;s Israel Policy<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Biden&#8217;s support of Israel after Hamas&#8217;s Oct. 7 terrorist attack has prompted pro-Palestinian demonstrations nationwide, mostly spearheaded by young Americans, disrupting his \u2062appearances at former first\u200b lady Rosalynn\u2063 Carter&#8217;s memorial service, a political speech at the site of the 2015 Charleston church shooting, and other events. \u200bThe &#8220;uncommitted&#8221; campaign, \u200bendorsed by Rep. Rashida\u2062 Tlaib (D-MI), \u2063Dearborn Mayor Abdullah\u2063 Hammoud (D-MI), and even 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Beto O&#8217;Rourke,\u2064 is the most serious challenge to Biden&#8217;s leadership this primary cycle after special counsel Robert Hur&#8217;s report raised concerns about his \u200bage and memory.<\/p>\n<p>Sameh Elhady, \u200bvice chairman of the Michigan \u200bDemocratic Party&#8217;s Arab \u200bAmerican Caucus, reiterated the\u200d communities&#8217;s grief and belief that Biden will be the 2024 presidential\u2062 nominee.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;But I\u2064 hope \u200cthat \u2064the lower\u2063 percentage of his success will send him\u200c a\u200c strong message,&#8221; Elhady\u200b said. &#8220;Michigan \u200bis \u200da battle state, and he won \u200bMichigan back in 2020 with\u200d only 150,000 votes. If you \u200cconsider the Arab American\u200d population, which \u200cis 350,000 and averaging\u2063 among \u200bhalf a million Muslims in Michigan, \u2062you are in \u2062a battle state, \u200band you could\u2062 lose it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In contrast, Michigan&#8217;s Jewish community, while\u2062 similarly dynamic, is smaller, with estimates of\u200d 90,000 people.<\/p>\n<p>Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI), \u2064a Biden campaign surrogate,\u2063 said\u2062 she&#8217;s &#8220;not sure&#8221; how\u2062 her state&#8217;s primary will turn out for Biden, noting the &#8220;differences of\u2063 opinion&#8221; in\u200b the &#8220;robust&#8221; Arab, Muslim, Palestinian, and\u200d Jewish\u200b communities in\u2062 her state.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I just want\u200d to make the case, though, \u200bthat it&#8217;s important not to lose\u200d sight \u200cof the fact that any vote that&#8217;s not cast for Joe Biden\u200c supports a second\u2064 Trump term,&#8221; Whitmer\u2062 said on CNN Sunday of GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump. &#8220;A second Trump term would be devastating, not just on fundamental rights, not just on our democracy here at home, but also when it comes to foreign policy.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Biden was \u2063not &#8220;beloved&#8221; by Arab and Muslim Americans before the Israel-Hamas \u2063war, per Walid, because of, for example,\u200b his policies regarding Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Community leaders recently boycotted a meeting with Biden&#8217;s campaign, advocating instead to sit down with administration officials, including White House deputy national security adviser Jon Finer.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Those are just some\u200c issues besides \u2062some of the economic concerns and the general \u2062mental fitness \u200cof Mr. Biden,&#8221; Walid said. &#8220;What is fascinating about our government at this time and the Biden administration\u200b is that, in dealing with any other country, if we&#8217;re giving them billions of \u200bdollars of money in aid, if they violate our\u200d values, \u2064then we\u2064 would say that we&#8217;re going cut off the aid. But when \u200bit comes to Israel, Mr. Biden is so weak \u200cthat\u2062 he can\u200d say that [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu administration&#8217;s] is going too \u200bfar, and Netanyahu can completely ignore him.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;No one is saying that\u200c Hamas did\u2062 the right thing on Oct. \u20627. No one&#8217;s saying that,&#8221; Elhady added. &#8220;Protecting civilians \u200dfrom both sides, it&#8217;s important.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In an interview, Dearborn\u2064 Democratic state Rep. Erin Byrnes described Israel&#8217;s post-Oct. 7 military operations in Gaza as a &#8220;genocide&#8221; and called for an &#8220;immediate and lasting ceasefire.&#8221; She also asked for Biden to be &#8220;more forthcoming&#8221; about\u200d his \u2063and his administration&#8217;s &#8220;diplomatic\u2063 measures&#8221; and &#8220;plan to support and uplift the Palestinian \u2064people.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>For Wayne University political science professor Ronald Brown, \u200dTuesday&#8217;s &#8220;uncommitted&#8221; campaign, a combination of the &#8220;Listen to\u200b Michigan&#8221; \u200dand &#8220;Abandon Biden&#8221; endeavors, could be a &#8220;canary in the coal \u200dmine&#8221; for Biden before the general election.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;That could be \u200ba pretty good predictor of what might happen in November,&#8221; Brown \u2063said, particularly \u200bconsidering the &#8220;quite \u200bhigh&#8221; number of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/more-suspicious-elections-absentee-data-from-detroit-36-of-absentee-ballots-returned-were-from-people-who-were-not-listed-as-being-sent-an-absentee-ballot\/\" title=\"More Suspicious Elections Absentee Data from Detroit: 36% of Absentee Ballots Returned Were From People Who Were Not Listed as Being Sent an Absentee Ballot\">absentee ballot applications<\/a>.\u2063 &#8220;If there&#8217;s a low number\u2063 of Democrats who vote uncommitted, well, they\u2064 also [might] not show up and \u200cvote. \u2062So I think I would just take a\u2063 look at that and see how high that percentage is.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>As for expectations for the\u2062 &#8220;uncommitted&#8221; campaign, Walid emphasized the demographic\u2062 and historical differences between Michigan and\u200d New Hampshire after the Granite State&#8217;s &#8220;ceasefire&#8221; write-in counterpart underperformed during last \u200dmonth&#8217;s\u200c primary. Former President \u200cBarack Obama&#8217;s 2008 \u2062campaign\u2064 received 40% of the vote \u2064through an &#8220;uncommitted&#8221; \u200dbid against then-candidate Hillary Clinton after he did not qualify for Michigan&#8217;s ballot.<\/p>\n<p>Both Walid and Elhady hope to dispel the Biden campaign&#8217;s assumption that Arab and Muslim Americans will support Biden in \u2064the general election\u200c compared to Trump, though \u2062Elhady, a once proud Democrat voting \u200d&#8221;uncommitted&#8221; on Tuesday,\u2062 remains undecided about what to do in November. Walid does\u200c not intend to\u2062 back Biden\u200c in eight months.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This is a very dangerous gambling and \u200coverconfidence,&#8221; Elhady said,\u200b adamant the communities are &#8220;not scared of \u200cTrump&#8221; \u200cbecause they can undermine his &#8220;authoritarian style.&#8221; &#8220;This is \u2064what&#8217;s going to, \u200dunfortunately, could be one of the reasons if Biden loses the upcoming\u200d election. And this\u200d is, unfortunately,\u200c history repeating itself. Back in 2016, between Hillary Clinton and Trump, the same\u200d way, the overconfidence, and \u200dHillary Clinton\u2064 lost because 1% only of the Democrats did not go to \u2063vote because \u200dthey\u200b don&#8217;t like her.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The Biden campaign, which\u200c declined to comment directly on the &#8220;uncommitted&#8221; effort, did not schedule a presidential campaign visit in Michigan the weekend \u2064before voters head to the\u2063 polls.<\/p>\n<p>A Biden campaign spokeswoman, \u2062however, claimed in \u2062a statement: &#8220;The \u200bpresident is working hard to earn every \u2064vote in Michigan,&#8221; pointing to Biden&#8217;s record on\u2064 bringing green\u2063 energy and infrastructure union jobs to Michigan, walking the picket line with the UAW last \u200dyear, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/simone-biles-says-shes-very-much-pro-abortion-as-someone-who-was-in-the-foster-care-system\/\" title=\"Simone Biles Says She\u2019s \u2018Very Much\u2019 Pro-Abortion As \u2018Someone Who Was In The Foster Care System\u2019\">supporting abortion access<\/a>, and lowering black unemployment.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;And, he is working\u2064 tirelessly to create a just, lasting peace in the Middle East,&#8221; the statement said.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/michigan-arab-american-muslim-voters-protest-biden-israel-policy\">CLICK HERE\u200d TO \u2062READ MORE \u2064FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How has the &#8220;uncommitted&#8221; campaign impacted the primary race \u200din Michigan, specifically among supporters of Biden and Palestinian rights?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Between supporters of Biden and Palestinian rights\u200b during\u2062 the\u2064 primary there in\u2062 2020.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Michigan is\u200d a completely different demographic,&#8221;\u2064 Walid said. &#8220;We have a significant Arab and Muslim\u200c population, and they have strong ties to \u200dPalestine. So, \u200dI think \u200bthe\u2063 &#8216;uncommitted&#8217; campaign will have\u200c a much \u2063more profound impact in Michigan.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In Michigan, Arab and Muslim Americans make up \u2063around 7% of the population. They\u2064 have \u2063a long \u200chistory of activism \u200cand political engagement, particularly\u2064 in the Detroit metropolitan area, which has one of the largest Arab American populations in the\u200b country. The Arab and Muslim communities in Michigan have been vocal in their support for Palestinian rights and\u2062 have consistently pushed for a more balanced U.S. policy\u2062 in the region.<\/p>\n<p>However, it remains\u2062 to be \u2062seen how much\u2064 of an impact the &#8220;uncommitted&#8221;\u200c campaign\u2064 will\u2062 have on the primary\u2063 results. While Arab and Muslim Americans are \u200dpolitically active, they are not a monolithic group, and their \u2063support for \u2062Biden may vary. Additionally,\u2063 the \u200bprimary\u2064 race in Michigan is not solely focused on the Israel-Hamas conflict but also includes other important issues such as healthcare, the\u200c economy, and racial justice.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, the\u2063 fact that the \u200bIsrael-Hamas\u200d conflict has become a significant factor in the primary\u200d highlights the \u200bimportance of foreign \u2063policy issues \u200cin\u2063 Michigan politics. \u200bThe state has a diverse electorate, and candidates need\u200d to engage with a range of \u200dcommunities and address their concerns in order to gain their support.<\/p>\n<p>The &#8220;uncommitted&#8221;\u200b campaign also speaks to a \u2064broader \u2063debate within the Democratic Party regarding its stance towards Israel \u2062and its\u200d treatment of the\u2062 Palestinians. While the party has traditionally been seen as pro-Israel, there is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hes-a-coward-house-democrats-trade-barbs-over-israel\/\" title=\"House Democrats engage in heated exchange over Israel, labeling one another as cowards.\">growing progressive wing<\/a> that \u2064advocates for a more balanced approach and supports Palestinian rights. This divide \u200cwas evident \u2063during the recent conflict, with several progressive lawmakers criticizing Biden&#8217;s response and calling for a reassessment of U.S. policy towards Israel.<\/p>\n<p>The outcome of the Michigan primary will provide\u2062 insight into the level of support for these progressive positions \u200bwithin the state&#8217;s Democratic\u200b Party. It will also serve as a test for Biden&#8217;s ability to maintain unity within the party and appeal to diverse constituencies.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, the\u2064 Israel-Hamas\u2063 conflict has become \u200da\u200d significant factor in \u200bMichigan&#8217;s\u200c political landscape. Arab and Muslim Americans, in particular, are closely watching Biden&#8217;s response and are using the primary\u200b as an opportunity to voice their concerns. The outcome of the primary will not \u2062only determine the state&#8217;s delegates but also provide an indication of the power these communities wield in \u200delections and \u200ctheir role in shaping \u200dthe Democratic Party&#8217;s stance on \u200cforeign\u200d policy issues.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Michigan voters hold significant sway in determining the outcome of the 2024 White House, House, and Senate races. The Washington Examiner&#8217;s series, Great Stakes: The Michigan Battle, delves into the intricate politics and distinctive concerns that will shape this crucial battleground state. Part One. (55 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2652,"featured_media":2186479,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/AP24055601071476-scaled.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2186478","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/AP24055601071476-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2186478","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2652"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2186478"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2186478\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2186479"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2186478"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2186478"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2186478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}