Muslim leaders in Michigan are taking credit for a large protest vote against President Biden in the Michigan primary, saying it sent a clear message that they are unhappy with his support of Israel’s war on Hamas.
The Muslim and Arab-American leaders who operate as Abandon Biden have mounted a campaign in several swing states to defeat Mr. Biden in November, saying his refusal to call for a ceasefire in Gaza amounts to genocide.
“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 group said in a statement Wednesday. “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.
He scored a decisive win in the Michigan primary Tuesday, but tens of thousands of residents cast their ballots for “uncommitted,” exceeding past levels of “uncommitted votes.”
As of Wednesday morning, the president maintained more than 80% of the vote total. More than 100,000 votes were cast for the “uncommitted” option on the Democratic ballot.
His decisive win, however, wasn’t sweeping enough to calm anxious Democratic fears in the battleground state that could unlock the presidency for him or former President Trump, the expected GOP nominee.
Still, Abandon Biden hailed the results as an indictment of Mr. Biden’s refusal to call for a cease-fire.
Mr. Biden is relentlessly heckled at public events by pro-Palestinian protesters who interrupt his speeches with chants of “Genocide Joe” and “Cease-fire now.”
Michigan is a battleground state that is home to a large population of Arab Americans who are furious with his strong support for Israel.
Mr. Biden won Michigan by 154,000 votes in 2020, but the state has more than 242,000 Muslim voters, according to the U.S. Religion Census. That could make a repeat victory in Michigan a challenge this year.