An “uncommitted” voter holds a sign opposing President Biden’s policy on Israel’s Gaza war outside a polling place in Dearborn, Michigan, ahead of the February presidential primary. .
Kevin Dickey/Getty Images North America
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Kevin Dickey/Getty Images North America
In this year’s Democratic presidential primary, hundreds of thousands of voters cast “uncommitted” votes in opposition to President Biden’s policies on Israel’s Gaza war.
Now that Vice President Harris has replaced Biden as the favorite, organizers behind the movement are cautiously optimistic about their ability to reach Harris.
“There are early signs that people are open to participating in our movement, and it feels like A shift in how our requests were previously treated.
“So I choose to remain hopeful that the vice president will not miss an opportunity to unite our party.”
Layla Elabed, another co-founder of the No Commitment movement, said Harris’ candidacy provides a window of opportunity.
“Vice President Harris has shown that she is more sympathetic to our movement. She has talked about the Palestinians’ right to self-determination. She has talked about the suffering that Palestinians are going through right now,” Elrabed said in an interview. “So it’s a slightly different shift in language than we’ve seen from President Biden and his administration.”
Elrabed and other leaders cited comments the vice president made after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a visit to Washington in late July, just days after Biden ended his candidacy.
Harris insisted that Israel had the right to defend itself, but added, “How it does that matters.”
“Images of dead children and desperate and hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for a second, third or fourth time,” Harris said. “We cannot turn a blind eye in the face of these tragedies. We cannot allow ourselves to The suffering has become numb and I will not remain silent.
Key action in key state
The uncommitted movement grew out of the “Listen to Michigan” campaign ahead of Michigan’s February presidential primary. The goal is to send a strong message to Biden that he needs to do more to prevent civilian deaths in Gaza. The organizers’ main demands are an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end to U.S. arms transfers to Israel.
Michigan has a large Arab-American population, and more than 100,000 voters voted “uncommitted” in the presidential primary, accounting for about 13% of the total vote.
Biden won Michigan by just 154,000 votes in 2020, but the state remains a crucial swing state.
Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Harris speaks at a campaign rally at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Wednesday.
Jeff Kowalski/AFP via Getty Images
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Jeff Kowalski/AFP via Getty Images
Harris met briefly with two leaders of the movement this week before holding a campaign rally in Michigan.
Alaviye said it was a brief encounter in the backstage reception line. He said he told Harris that previously uncommitted voters wanted to support her but needed to know she would take a different path on Gaza.
“I asked her, ‘Would you like to meet with us so we can discuss an arms embargo?'” he recalled. “The vice president quickly said, ‘I really like it.'” We took pictures and I said, ‘Thank you so much.’
He said it was not a commitment to specific policies but to continue meetings on these pressing issues.
Subsequently, Harris’ national security adviser Phil Gordon emphasized in a post on X that “she does not support an arms embargo on Israel.”
At a rally in Michigan this week, there were some pro-Palestinian protesters who at one point chanted “Kamala, Kamala, you can’t hide. We will not vote for genocide.”
At first, Harris gave them a chance, but as the disruption continued, she interrupted their conversation, suggesting that Donald Trump’s election would indeed be bad for their cause.
“If you want Donald Trump to win, then say so. Otherwise, I’ll say it,” Harris said.
What voters can expect from Harris
It remains to be seen whether Harris’ Gaza policy will be materially different from the Biden administration.
Organizers of the No Commitment campaign stress that simply changing the language is not enough. They continue to push for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end to U.S. arms sales to Israel. They are also demanding that a doctor who has worked on the front lines in Gaza speak at the Democratic National Convention later this month.
Dearborn, Miss., Mayor Abdullah Hammoud praised Harris’ remarks after Netanyahu’s visit, but said: “We want more than just someone who speaks out. Tough. We need someone who is tough on policy. From our perspective, our values have not changed.
Ela Bader, one of the co-founders of the No Commitment movement, said she would like to see Harris guarantee a new chapter in Biden’s policies and said the Palestinians “cannot break their word.”
At the heart of this take-no-commitment movement are Arab Americans and young voters. Many people are still deciding what to do in November.
Kole Cuderna, an 18-year-old from Holland, Miss., did not vote in February. He said he might vote for Biden in the general election, but reluctantly.
“I don’t feel any enthusiasm for Biden,” he said. “But for Harris, yes, I’m enthusiastic. I’m excited for Harris. I feel like she can win.
But Jennifer Schlicht, 41, had a more muted reaction. She said she was waiting to see if Harris would make any changes to Middle East policy.
“Would I vote for her? Most likely,” said Schlichter, who is from Ypsilanti, Michigan. “But if she does deliver on what she said to Netanyahu and stands up for something that respects human rights, I will feel better about voting for her.
And there are voters like Hank Kennedy, a student teacher from Hazel Park, Miss., who says the new candidates won’t change his mind at all.
“There needs to be a change in policy, not just a change in fares,” said Kennedy, 27.
Kennedy said he would probably vote for the Green Party if the election were held tomorrow (for his part, uncommitted organizers are not recommending voters support a third party.)
While Kennedy also said he was concerned about what Trump’s reelection as president might mean for the Palestinians, he said he believed Democrats were not doing enough to stop the death and destruction in Gaza.
“What if we should vote for the lesser of two evils? I mean, what’s less? That’s how I see it,” he said.
