As was expected, President Joe Biden won the Michigan Democratic Primary on Tuesday night, with Decision Desk HQ feeling confident enough to call the race right at 9pm, when the last of the polls closed in the state.
Decision Desk HQ projects Joe Biden wins the Michigan Democratic Primary.#DecisionMade: 9:00pm ET
— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) February 28, 2024
Follow more results here: https://t.co/Yh1jQg9Qwg pic.twitter.com/oOa13he7D2
However, as Townhall has been covering at length, the "uncommitted" vote could spell a threat to the president's chances. While Biden did win Tuesday's primary, there could still be an issue for him in this key battleground state if these voters fail to come home for the November election. At the heart of this protest vote has been the Muslim and Arab-American populations who don't believe Biden is doing enough to make the Israel-Hamas war about "both sides."
The "Abandon Biden" movement has also put Michigan Democrats in disarray, as those like Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Sen. Debbie Stabenow support the president, while Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan's 12th Congressional District supports those rebelling against Biden. Her sister, Layla Elabed, runs Listen to Michigan, which has been trying to get voters to select "uncommitted," as The Washington Post pointed out in a Tuesday report.
During a panel discussion on Tuesday night as results were coming in, Manu Raju revealed that Tlaib wouldn't even tell him whether she'll support Biden in November.
With an estimated 18 percent of the vote, the "uncommitted" vote is already enjoying 15.1 percent of the vote, for a total so far of 25,133 votes. This is over double the goal of 10,000 votes that Listen to Michigan had in mind.
Even before the polls closed in Michigan, the Abandon Biden group sent out a press release: "Abandon Biden Campaign Declares Victory in Michigan Primary Election, Results Point to Biden’s Loss in November," with a preview for a press conference in Dearborn on Wednesday morning that will be livestreamed over social media.
There have been several trends over X to do with the Democratic primary, also even before the polls closed, from "#MichiganPrimary" and "Michigan," to "Uncommitted" and "Dearborn," as well as "Whitmer."
As Matt covered, former and potentially future President Donald Trump also handily beat former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to win Michigan's Republican Primary, as was also expected.
Trump is ahead of Biden in Michigan as well, a state he won just narrowly in 2016 but then lost in 2020 to Biden. According to RealClearPolling, Trump enjoys a lead of +5.1 over Biden in the swing state.