Liberal Group Joins Efforts to Protest Vote Against Biden in Michigan
Our Revolution, the political organization that Sen. Bernie Sanders founded in 2016, is backing the Uncomposed Vote Movement in Michigan's Democratic primaries and trying to pressure President Biden to change his approach to the war between Israel and Hamas.
On Wednesday, Our Revolution plans to send an email to 87,000 members in Michigan and about 225,000 supporters in other states, encouraging them to vote for Uncomished during the state's Feb. 27 primary to “push Biden are now changing course on Gaza.”
Former Representative Andy Levin, Democrat of Michigan and a signatory of the letter, said Mr Biden risked voters sitting out the November election in protest of US policy on the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. He warned that Mr. Biden could lose the state in the general election to former President Donald J. Trump without a major change in Israeli policy.
“I work with a number of people who feel like they will never vote for Joe Biden, but there are many, many, many who I think will vote for Joe Biden on November 5 if he changes course,” said the Mr. Levin in an interview. Tuesday evening. “This is the best way I can help Joe Biden.”
Our Revolution's commitment to support Uncommitt includes phone banking, text banking, and events on Michigan's college campuses. The group's efforts join those of a group of Arab-American Democrats from Dearborn, Michigan, who have since won the support of several dozen local elected officials.
Larry Cohen, the chairman of Our Revolution, said he hoped such a move could win the support of at least 10 percent of Michigan's Democratic primary electorate, which he said would need about 20,000 votes, given estimates of what low turnout is expected. contest. There are no other major elections on the Feb. 27 ballot in the state.
Last week, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a leading Biden surrogate, urged the state's voters to back the president in the primaries; she warned that if he were to provide support now, it could backfire in November.
“There is a lot at stake in the upcoming elections, and I would encourage people not to lose sight of that,” she told reporters on Thursday. “A potential second term for the former president would be very tough on all the communities that are still affected by what is happening abroad, and that is also something that should not be lost in people's calculations.”
Mr. Biden's campaign declined to comment.
Biden is unlikely to be challenged by the other Democrats on the Michigan ballot. Marianne Williamson suspended her long-distance campaign last week. Representative Dean Phillips of Minnesota has failed to gain more than a hint of support outside New Hampshire, where he trailed Mr. Biden, who was not on the ballot there, by 40 points.
The Biden administration has expressed concern about the erosion of support from Michigan. Last week, a delegation of officials met with Arab American and Muslim leaders in Dearborn, where a senior official acknowledged mistakes in the administration's response to the war in Gaza.
The last time there was a significant effort to get Michigan Democrats to vote Uncommitt was in 2008. After Michigan defied Democratic National Committee rules by moving that year's primaries up the nominating calendar, the Barack Obama's campaign, who was not on the ballot, called on his supporters to vote for Uncomished as a proxy against Hillary Clinton. About 40 percent of the Democratic primary voters that year chose Uncomposed against Mrs. Clinton and three other candidates.