More than 100,000 voted 'Uncommitted' in protest vote against Biden in Michigan presidential primary
Unpacking Michigan's Presidential Primary results
Just over 100,000 people voted uncommitted on the Democratic ticket instead of for Joe Biden. In a state where the margins are slim but the necessity for winning is vital to being president, it may be enough to sway the general election in Michigan come November.
(FOX 2) - Supporters of the campaign to cast a protest vote against President Joe Biden during Michigan's presidential primary election Tuesday took a victory lap after more than 100,000 people filled in "uncommitted" on their ballot.
In a state that has voted for a president by a smaller margin of victory than that figure in recent campaigns, that could be a warning sign for Biden.
Suril Patel, an advisor to Democratic campaigns, doesn't see it that way.
"I don’t think that it’s a victory lap and the reason is, when you look at it objectively, it's actually a very small number," said Patel. "When you look at Obama going into a second term, the uncommitted was 11%. We’re at 13% now."
Patel doesn't support the uncommitted campaign. He also doesn't think it will hurt the president in the short term.
But Andy Levin, a former Michigan congressional representative who is both Jewish and a backer of the Listen to Michigan movement, says if the conflict between Israel and Gaza persists into the general election season, it could hurt the Democratic leader.
"The only way to have security and peace for the Jewish people there is to realize the political and human rights of the Palestinian people there.," Levin said. "There is no other way."
He added that U.S. policy for decades was to create a Palestinian state within the occupied territory that's side-by-side with the Jewish state that is peaceful. The Israeli president, Benjamin Netanyahu, is against that, he said.
"Now he’s running a government where ministers of his government are saying outright genocidal things," Levin said.
In 2016, Trump beat Hilary Clinton by a little over 10,000 votes.
And in 2020, Biden won Michigan by about 150,000 votes, beating Trump in one of the previous election's closest contests. If 100,000 people again chose not to vote for Biden in the November election, while Trump, the expected Republican nominee, can boost his support by a little bit - it could swing the state back to him.
Michigan Presidential Primary: Election results by county
President Joe Biden won the Democratic vote, while former President Donald Trump picked up the Republican nomination.