Primary protest vote puts Biden on notice
DEARBORN, MICHIGAN: US President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump both cruised to easy victories in their parties’ Michigan primaries as their November election rematch grows ever more certain.
But a substantial protest vote by Democrat voters over Mr Biden’s handling of the war in Gaza and his government’s relationship with Israel gave the President a harsh reminder he is losing support among Muslim and Arab Americans, who were crucial to his narrow 2020 victory in Michigan over Mr Trump.
There was little suspense over yesterday’s vote, with Mr Biden almost unopposed in the Democratic contest and Mr Trump declared the early victor over Nikki Haley in a two-part Republican vote that concludes on the weekend.
With 58 per cent of votes counted, Mr Trump had secured 67 per cent, compared to Ms Haley’s 27 per cent. CNN and NBC had projected Mr Trump’s victory within seconds of the polls closing.
Mr Trump was predictably buoyant when he spoke to supporters at the Republican watch party after the result was called, looking ahead to November.
“We win Michigan, we win the whole thing,” he said. “The numbers are far greater than we even anticipated.
“I can tell you this November cannot come fast enough.
“We have the worst president in history, the most incompetent and the most corrupt president, and we can’t let this continue.
“We’re going to make America great again, greater than ever before.”
Early reports showed 16 per cent of Democrats in the key battleground state voting for “uncommitted” rather than Mr Biden, as part of a push to persuade the president to back off from his support of Israel.
The “uncommitted” vote has been lower than two per cent in the past two elections.
The midwestern state has the largest proportion of residents who identify as being of Middle Eastern or North African descent in the country.
Activists had asked Democrats to vote “uncommitted” to censure the President over US military funding for Israel, and to push a call for a ceasefire.
“I was proud today to walk in and pull a Democratic ballot and vote ‘uncommitted’,” said Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American in congress.
“When 74 per cent of Democrats in Michigan support a ceasefire, yet President Biden is not hearing us, this is the way we can use our democracy to say, ‘Listen to Michigan’,” Ms Tlaib added.
The movement comfortably surpassed its goal of 10,000 uncommitted votes, with 58,000 after 48 per cent of votes had been counted.
The protest never threatened Mr Biden’s easy march to the nomination, as he won 81 per cent of the vote, while his sole challenger, Minnesota congressman Dean Phillips, had just 3 per cent. But the “uncommitted” votes could set off alarm bells for the election, when Mr Biden cannot afford to see his coalition eroded in the swing state.
He didn’t mention the protest vote in a statement released by his team. “I want to thank every Michigander who made their voice heard today. Exercising the right to vote and participating in our democracy is what makes America great,” Mr Biden said.