Joe Biden wins in Michigan in the presidential primary on Tuesday but was dealt a stinging rebuke in a protest vote where Americans show discontent over Gaza and raised concerns over his bid to win the swing state in November’s election.
There was little suspense over the outcome for both parties, with the president almost unopposed in the Democratic nominating contest and his predecessor Donald Trump declared the victor the Republican vote as polls were closing.
Americans show discontent over Gaza
But tens of thousands of Democrats in a swing state crucial to Biden’s reelection hopes ticked the “uncommitted” box as part of a push by the “Listen to Michigan” campaign to jolt the president into backing off from his support of the Genocidal regime of Israel.
Biden released a statement thanking voters, touting his record on working for Michigan’s middle class and acknowledging that there was “much left to do” — but made no mention of the Gaza conflict and ignored the protest vote.
Huge protest Listen to Michigan sparks backlash despite Biden winning in MIchigan
Michigan is considered a critical swing state, which picked the winning president in the last two contests.
“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,” the campaign said in a statement claiming victory.
The Midwestern state has the largest proportion of residents who identify as being of Middle Eastern or North African descent in the country, with most of the population concentrated around Detroit.
It was an easy as Biden wins in Michigan but concern if this protest goes national
The protest never threatened Biden’s easy march to the nomination, and his sole challenger, Minnesota congressman Dean Phillips, was trailing with under three percent support late Tuesday.
But the significant number of “uncommitted” votes could set off alarm bells ahead of the November general election, when Biden cannot afford to see his coalition eroded in the swing state.
The US Census Bureau estimates the statewide population claiming Middle Eastern or North African descent at 310,000, although the Arab American Institute says that figure is likely a significant undercount.
What is the protest “listen to Michigan”
“Listen to Michigan” is a protest against President Biden and the US military’s unwavering support for Israels genocide in the Gaza war. the peaceful activists have decided to demonstrate their discontent by voting ‘uncommitted’ in the ballot box.
“Listen to Michigan” had set a modest goal of rallying 10,000 uncommitted voters in its aim to censure the president over US military funding for Israel, and to pressure him to call for an immediate ceasefire.
Activists from the group Listen to Michigan hailed the size of the “uncommitted” vote as a victory. People were in tears at the organisation’s watch party as tallies were periodically updated.