Biden Faces Another ‘Uncommitted’ Test as More States Rebel
Joe Biden is facing a growing challenge from voters within his own party ahead of Super Tuesday, as liberal orgs continue urging Americans to vote “uncommitted” in their states’ Democratic primaries to protest the Biden administration’s support for Israel in its war against Hamas.
At least three Super Tuesday states have seen full-throated campaigns urging voters to cast their ballot against Biden this week, including Colorado, Minnesota, and Washington.
Among the biggest players to push for an uncommitted vote is the Democratic Socialists of America, which said in a statement Sunday that Biden is “on track” to lose to Donald Trump this fall if he doesn’t “listen to the working class of this country and change course.”
“Defeat is certain if he fails to do so,” the organization said. It also highlighted polling which shows that an increasing number of Americans want a ceasefire in Gaza—while pointing to an Israeli attack last week that Gaza officials said killed at least 100 Palestinians near an aid convoy.
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The “uncommitted” push comes less than a week after more than 100,000 Democratic primary voters in Michigan cast ballots for the “uncommitted” line—shattering a goal of 10,000 that was set by organizers. The president still easily won the state with 623,000 votes, but organizers said it sent a clear message to Biden.
“Over 30,000 Palestinians have already died,” the DSA wrote in a statement. “How many will be ENOUGH for Joe Biden to stop this war?”
The DSA has over 92,00o members and chapters in each U.S. state.
The states set to vote or caucus on Super Tuesday include Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Utah, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Virginia—though not every state has “uncommitted” as an option on its ballots.
The DSA isn’t alone in its push, with the progressive group Our Revolution also asking Democrats to vote uncommitted in Washington state next week, citing ongoing U.S. support for Israel as the reason. A similar campaign is afoot in Colorado, where the Colorado Palestine Coalition is urging voters to select “noncommitted delegate” as the state’s equivalent to an uncommitted vote.
In a statement, Our Revolution said its endorsement is to “apply political pressure on the Biden administration to reevaluate its stance on the war in Gaza, aligning it more closely with the Democratic base and bolstering its chances of reelection and defeating Donald Trump in November.”
The organization’s executive director, Joseph Geevarghese, cited the protest’s effectiveness in Michigan as a reason to push for it elsewhere.
“Coming off the momentum generated in Michigan, we need to continue lifting up our voices and sending a clear message to President Biden—we need a ceasefire now,” he said. “If we do not change course, he will be putting our Democracy at risk.”
The uncommitted movement has been publicly backed by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), who said she “was proud” to cast her ballot against Biden in Michigan last week.
“When 74 percent of Democrats in Michigan support a ceasefire, yet President Biden is not hearing us, this is the way we can use our democracy to say ‘listen to Michigan,’” she said in a video statement at the time.
Elsewhere in the Midwest, a half-page advertisement was purchased in Sunday’s edition of the Star-Tribune, Minnesota’s largest newspaper, which urged Democrats to vote uncommitted on Tuesday.
“Minnesota, Listen to Michigan. Vote ‘Uncommitted,’” the advertisement reads. “Be a voter in the Presidential Primary this Tuesday, March 5th. Send a message: Ceasefire now.”
Minnesota appears ripe to turn out a large “uncommitted” vote. Like Michigan, it has a progressive history, a large Muslim community, and high voter turnout (Minnesota is No. 1, while Michigan ranks No. 10).
Amanda Purcell, a member of MN Families for Palestine who held a rally for the “uncommitted” vote at a Minneapolis park this weekend, told The Guardian that she can feel momentum swinging toward a protest vote.
“We’re really starting to feel the momentum here,” she said. “And we’re hoping that what we do here will just continue to push the wave of uncommitted across the United States.”
It remains unclear if the Biden administration plans to change course due to the brewing rebellion, though it has increased its scrutiny of Israel in recent weeks—a step back from its full-throated support in the early days of the country’s invasion into the Gaza Strip.
Vice President Kamala Harris called the situation in Gaza a “human catastrophe” on Sunday, saying Israel has “no excuses” to not send aid of its own to the displaced, starving Palestinians in and around Rafah.
Last week, Biden announced the U.S. would drop food and supplies into Gaza. He also told reporters—while licking ice cream with late-night host Seth Myers ahead of an appearance on his show—that he thought a ceasefire could go into effect as early as this Monday.
Those in the Middle East threw cold water on that estimation shortly after, however, emphasizing that Hamas and Israel remained far from reaching an agreement that would see hostilities paused.
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Asma Mohammed, one of the organizers behind Vote Uncommitted MN, told The Guardian that she—like other organizers for an uncommitted vote in Minnesota—is against Trump returning to the White House. Instead, she said, her organization’s protest is to send a message to Biden that he’s alienating his base supporters.
“I’m hoping that President Biden listens, because I don’t want to have to organize my community out of becoming Republicans or just sitting at home,” Mohammed said. “And it’s not just my community.”
Mohammed told the newspaper that the ultimate goal of the uncommitted movement is for there to be a ceasefire—not keep Biden out of office.
“This is a national movement,” Mohammed said. “It doesn’t stop with Michigan. It doesn’t stop with Minnesota. All of us have to be all in to get the attention of the president.”
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