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Muslim leaders in Michigan and liberal activists took a victory lap Wednesday, a day after more than 100,000 voters cast their support for “uncommitted” in the Michigan primary to protest President Biden’s refusal to call for a cease-fire in the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
For Mr. Biden, it marked the first real sign of turbulence in the Democratic nomination race that otherwise hasn’t presented him with serious challenges.
“In Michigan’s primary last night, we witnessed not just a rejection of Joe Biden, but a searing condemnation of his presidency’s moral vacuity,” the Muslim and Arab American leaders who operate as “Abandon Biden” said in a statement. “The unprecedented support for ’uncommitted’ in Michigan makes it clear that complicity in genocide isn’t up for debate. It also signals that what awaits Biden in November isn’t a guaranteed victory. And what awaits the Democratic Party is irrelevance.”
Mr. Biden initially rejected a cease-fire but, in recent weeks, has softened his stance, calling for a limited pause in the fighting amid falling poll numbers.
More than 13% of the voters that turned out for the primary Tuesday cast their ballot for “uncommitted.”
SEE ALSO: Muslim leaders say Michigan primary results sent message to Biden on Gaza
Mr. Biden still cruised to victory in the primary race with 81% of the vote.
His decisive win, however, wasn’t sweeping enough to calm Democratic fears in the battleground state that could unlock the presidency for him or former President Donald Trump, the expected GOP nominee.
Democrats took some solace in the fact that former President Barack Obama faced similar pushback in the 2012 primary when 10% supported “uncommitted.”
Mr. Obama still notched a nine-point win over Mitt Romney in the general election.
Liberal groups, meanwhile, warned that Mr. Biden will jeopardize his reelection prospects if he doesn’t assert more pressure on Israel.
“Last night, progressive voters across the state of Michigan made their voices heard,” said Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of Our Revolution. “By showing up and voting uncommitted in the Democratic primary, they sent a resounding message to President Biden: Change course now on Gaza or risk alienating key voter blocs needed to defeat Trump in November.”
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He added, “We’ve all watched as nearly 30,000 Palestinian civilians, mostly women and children, have been killed in Gaza. Despite unprecedented global outrage and poll after poll showing that Democratic voters overwhelmingly support a cease-fire, the Biden administration continues to provide unconditional support to Israel’s right-wing government to enable its brutal military campaign.”
The group pointed out that Mr. Trump’s margin of victory in Michigan over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 race boiled down to just over 10,000 votes.
Mr. Biden, meanwhile, carried the state by over 154,000 votes in 2020.
An Emerson College Polling/ The Hill survey released this week showed Mr. Trump leading Mr. Biden 46%-44%, which was within the poll’s margin of error.
Ten percent are undecided.
Perhaps more glaring was the fact that 28% of voters under age 30 planned to vote for “uncommitted” in the Michigan primary.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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