'Uncommitted' Biden protesters celebrate showing in Michigan's primary, say other states are next
Advocates from Minnesota and Washington state have reached out.
DEARBORN, Mich. -- Leaders of Listen to Michigan, one of the groups behind the push to cast "uncommitted" votes in the state's Democratic primary to protest President Joe Biden's stance on the Israel-Hamas war, said on Wednesday that they felt victorious after their movement garnered more than 100,000 ballots.
"We organized and ... Michigan voters last night sent a clear message to President Biden that he needs to call for an immediate, permanent cease-fire and he needs to stop funding the Israeli military's war crimes. Our message has been clear," said Abbas Alawieh, the group's political strategist and spokesperson.
(Israel insists it takes steps to curb civilian casualties as it targets Hamas fighters in Gaza in the wake of a Hamas terror attack.)
Listen to Michigan launched three weeks ago and organizers said on Wednesday that their "diverse" supporters went beyond Arab and Muslim Americans and those who disagree with Biden's views on Israel. It includes voters upset over student loans, rent and health care, they said.
Jola Mehmeti, an Albanian American, helped to petition for the uncommitted movement. Mehmeti said she wasn't expecting a specific number of voters to come out on Tuesday but she had hoped it would be high.
She told ABC News she was "impressed" at the final showing -- but was disappointed that Biden received more than 620,000 votes, dwarfing the uncommitted ballots.
She thought more people would stand in solidarity with the group, she said.
In a statement on Tuesday night, Biden thanked "every Michigander who made their voice heard today" without specifically mentioning the uncommitted movement, which did not land well with its leaders on the ground.
"We're looking to our president to unite this party and quite frankly, this statement last night did not unite," Alawieh said on Wednesday.
A senior Biden campaign adviser said in a separate statement to ABC Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce that "we understand that it's an emotional, painful, difficult situation for a lot of people. President Biden shares the goal of many of the folks who voted uncommitted, which is an end to the violence and a just and lasting peace. That is what he is working towards."
Broadly speaking, Biden has tried to balance his support for Israel's campaign against Hamas with sympathy for the tens of thousands of people who have been killed amid Israel's bombardment of the Palestinian territory of Gaza.
The president has also pushed for negotiations to implement temporary cease-fires in exchange for hostage releases and called Israel's tactics "over the top." But he has not said he would condition aid to the country on an end to Israel's retaliation or on negotiations with the Palestinians, and he has been criticized in the past for some of his rhetoric about the death toll.
In recent weeks, when asked about the opposition to his response to the Israel-Hamas war, Biden and his campaign have pointed to former President Donald Trump's past support for restrictions on Muslims.
On Wednesday, leaders of the Listen to Michigan movement appeared to respond to Biden's argument.
"The threat of another Trump presidency is an ugly and incompetent way to win a presidency," said Layla Elabed, the campaign's manager and sister of Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib, perhaps the most high-profile lawmaker who backed the effort.
Elabed added that voters sent "a message that we will not be threatened into a vote when humanity and our core values are at risk."
What's next?
ABC News estimates the movement will secure two delegates to the Democrats' national convention in August, marking something of a blow to Biden because he has not lost delegates in the preceding primary contests this cycle.
Historically, however, it's not unheard of for an incumbent president to enter a nominating convention with delegates unpledged to them.
In 2012, when Barack Obama was running for reelection, the uncommitted vote garnered enough support in a handful of Southern states to cut into his delegate count.
ABC News asked Listen to Michigan how they plan to have their delegates make an impact.
"I think at this point in time that's a conversation we're gonna be taking back as a coalition and we'll move forward as time proceeds," Dearborn, Michigan, Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said.
The group also told reporters on Wednesday that they believe their movement is spreading across the country. They said advocates from Minnesota and Washington state have reached out, seeking support for similar efforts in their states.
Listen to Michigan plans on accepting, they said.
Alexa Garcia is one of the 20 Washington state volunteers who flew to Michigan over the weekend. Garcia spoke with ABC News at a polling location in Dearborn on Tuesday and said she was already weary of what she claimed were the Biden administration's broken promises.
The war in Gaza convinced her that Biden did not deserve her vote, she said.
"There's a lot of things that had me hesitant to vote for [Biden] again this November, but definitely this has sealed it. If he doesn't change his ways, I won't vote for him," she said.
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