by A group of Democrats in Michigan is urging voters unhappy with President Biden’s approach to the war between Israel and Hamas to vote No Compromise in the state’s Feb. 27 primary election to show their frustration that Biden has not demanded a ceasefire in the conflict.
The effort, called Listen to Michigan, will be formally announced on Tuesday. The campaign is led by Layla Elabed, a community organizer from Dearborn, Michigan, who is the younger sister from Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. The campaign budget will be $250,000 and will include digital advertising, direct mail, and phone and text banking to contact supporters, Elabed said.
“We are a voting bloc,” he said. “We have the political power to really change Biden’s election. We did it in 2020.”
The group’s website is compelling. “Tell Biden to vote me out for genocide,” she says.
There is a history of Michigan Democrats using the uncommitted vote as a protest vote. In 2008, when Michigan defied Democratic National Committee rules by moving its primaries up the nominating calendar, Barack Obama’s campaign urged his supporters to vote No Committed against Hillary Clinton. In that race, 40 percent of Democratic primary voters chose No Compromise against Mrs. Clinton and three other candidates.
Biden is not likely to be seriously challenged in the Michigan primary by Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota or Marianne Williamson, the author, who are both on the ballot. Biden won the party’s first recognized primary, Saturday in South Carolina, with 96 percent of the vote. But there is ample evidence in polls that his position supporting Israel as it wages war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip is unpopular.
An NBC News poll released Sunday found that only 29 percent of voters approved of Biden’s handling of the war between Israel and Hamas, including just 15 percent of voters under 35. Among Democrats, the poll found that 44 percent approved of Biden’s handling of the war. in Gaza, while 45 percent disapproved.
Michigan is one of the few battleground states where Biden narrowly defeated President Donald J. Trump in 2020. It is considered among the most competitive states for the 2024 general election. Since October 7, when Hamas unleashed the latest war with his attack on Israel, top Michigan Democrats have expressed concern that Biden’s pro-Israel stance is costing him support in the state, which has a large Arab-American population in Detroit. outskirts.
The president’s recent public events have been marked by protesters demonstrating against his support for Israel. When he traveled to the Detroit suburbs for an appearance with auto workers last week, the White House and Biden’s campaign declined to reveal in advance where the president would appear, an unusual measure of secrecy intended to avoid a flood of protesters. Still, about 200 pro-Palestinian protesters marched outside.
Elabed said the Listen to Michigan group’s goal was to engage about 80 percent of its email list of 128,000 voters. No elected officials have joined his effort yet, he said, though he hopes supporters of Mayor Abdullah Hammoud of Dearborn, who last week declined a meeting with Biden campaign officials, will appreciate having the option to vote against Biden in the elections. elections. primary.
The Biden campaign declined to discuss the Michigan effort. Last week, at the National Prayer Breakfast in WashingtonBiden said he was working to end the war in Gaza.
“We not only pray for peace, but we also actively work for the peace, security and dignity of the Israeli people and the Palestinian people,” Biden said.
Elabed said his group’s demands on Biden begin with him calling on Israel to stop its war on Gaza.
“This is really about the importance of sending a clear message to President Biden,” he said. “As Michigan voters, we cannot support your financial support for actions that conflict with our core values of peace and humanity..”
