BY Farah Siddiqi, Reporter/Producer Michigan News Connection, a bureau of Public News Service.
Will the “uncommitted” protest in Michigan spread to other states? Political watchers will be looking for signs of that on Super Tuesday. President Joe Biden won Michigan with more than 618,000 votes, last month. However, more than 100,000 Democrats voted “uncommitted” in Michigan’s presidential primary. The “uncommitted votes” protest secured two delegates.
The aim of some of those voters was to show the President his support for the Israeli government’s war in Gaza is a decisive factor within the Muslim, Arab American and pro-Palestinian communities. An exit poll of more than 500 Muslim voters was conducted by the Council on American Islamic Relations.
Robert McCaw, government affairs director for the council, said 94% of American Muslims who voted in the Democratic primary voted “uncommitted.”
“It’s a clear sign that our communities are organized,” McCaw emphasized. “We’re a political force in these states, and other swing states, and we can tip the results in any election when it counts.”
Exit Poll Results
The exit poll found potential third-party candidates are polling better than Biden and, if an election were held today, 40% of Muslim voters would prefer an unnamed “other candidate.” The poll also found 13% might vote for GOP front-runner Donald Trump.
The Biden administration has faced significant protests in Michigan, particularly in Dearborn, with the largest per capita Muslim population in the U.S. According to McCaw, the initiation of the “Vote Uncommitted” campaign was in protest of the President’s reluctance to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. He stressed the voters were not bluffing.
“It’s noteworthy that potential third-party candidates, such as Dr. Cornel West, are polling better than Biden with Muslim voters,” McCaw reported. “While others like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Jill Stein are polling evenly with the President.”
In response to the protest vote, Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud wrote on social media, “Today, thousands said, ‘Enough.’ As American citizens and Michigan voters, we have made our voices heard at the ballot box. Now, it is up to President Biden to listen to Michigan and do the right thing.”
