Biden’s “core group of supporters are still behind him,” according to the data, a Biden campaign official said on Wednesday.
This does not imply that the Muslim and Arab American communities in America will go unnoticed. We’re not going to. We don’t take anyone for granted,” the representative declared.
According to the official, the president is attempting to establish enduring peace in the Middle East. “He’s not approaching this issue as a politician but as commander-in-chief.”
According to a Harvard-Harris poll conducted in February, 61% of Democrats endorse Biden’s approach to the Israel-Hamas conflict overall.
A little more than 101,000 voters submitted blank ballots, which is significantly higher than the 10,000 organizers claimed to have sought, and some have even spoken of organizing a national campaign. In the 2012 Michigan primary, Democratic President Barack Obama faced over 21,000 undecided voters in his bid for reelection.
Two ‘uncommitted’ delegates will be sent to the Democrats’ national convention in August thanks to the sufficient votes.
Listen to Michigan, one of the organizations sponsoring the uncommitted, stated, “Our delegation plans to hold the Democratic nominee accountable to our community’s anti-war agenda at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago” in August.
THE CENTER OF BACKLASH IS MICHIGAN
Biden incited fury and a well-coordinated backlash, with Michigan serving as the focal point, for his early and staunch backing of Israel and his refusal to restrict military assistance on the condition that it not murder innocent people or destroy infrastructure.
With starvation looming, a large portion of Gaza’s 2.3 million population becoming homeless, and a rise in deaths, this rage has only intensified.
Activists in Michigan want Biden to stop funding Israel and advocate for an ongoing cease-fire in Gaza. They have hinted that they might abstain from voting for Biden in the main election scheduled for November.
Over time, the Biden administration’s criticism of Israel has increased. Biden made public remarks about the White House’s proposal for a temporary ceasefire resolution at the U.N. Security Council in mid-February; however, the administration vetoed another resolution that called for a permanent ceasefire.
As Hamas examined a proposal for a cease-fire that includes a prisoner-hostage swap, Biden announced late on Monday that Israel has decided to suspend military operations in Gaza for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is anticipated to start on the evening of March 10.
However, Israel and Hamas seem to be at odds on a solution.
According to Karine Jean-Pierre, a spokesman for the White House, Biden is still committed to a hostage negotiation that includes a brief ceasefire. Jean-Pierre declared on Wednesday that “the president understands how painful this moment is to many people.”
Israeli counts indicate that on October 7, Hamas forces killed 1,200 people and abducted 253, setting off Israel’s air and ground invasion on Gaza, which is ruled by Hamas. Since then, over 30,000 Palestinians have died, according to enclave health officials.
Following Tuesday’s results, Democratic officials in Michigan pledged to exert greater effort to win over voters.
In 2020, Biden won Michigan by a margin of less than 3%, and in this year’s head-to-head contest, some opinion polls indicate that Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, will prevail.
Approximately 200,000 Arab Americans vote in Michigan, surpassing Biden’s narrow 155,000 victory margin in 2020.
As the results came in on Tuesday night, Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II informed volunteers supporting Biden, “Tomorrow is the first day of this general election.”
“We have no fear of anyone engaging in democratic processes. Voters do not frighten us. Those with good intentions who are willing to speak up in good faith and conscience are not a threat to us,” he declared.
Mike Frosolone, the campaign manager for Biden in Michigan, informed party organizers that their focus would shift to the state’s general election campaign, involving door knocking, phone banking, and the establishment of many offices throughout the state.
“We know when voters see President Biden and Donald Trump’s record side by side, they’re going to choose President Biden,” he stated. He stated that on March 7, Biden would present this argument in his State of the Union speech.
Like Trump, 77, Biden, 81, is beset by low approval ratings overall and age-related concerns. It is anticipated that Trump will be a fervent admirer of Israel and Benjamin Netanyahu, the country’s right-wing prime minister, if he is reelected.
According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday, “extremism” will be the top concern for American voters in the 2024 race, surpassing concerns about immigration or the economy, and most believe that Biden is better qualified to handle the issue.