Both President Joe Biden and former and potentially future President Donald Trump already have earned enough delegates to be their party's presumptive nominees; the magic number came for each on March 12. States are still holding primaries, though, including on Tuesday night. Those opposed to Biden over what support he has dared to show Israel following the October 7 terrorist attack perpetrated by Hamas are encouraging voters to instead vote "uncommitted."
On Wednesday, the Abandon Biden group sent out press releases declaring victory in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Wisconsin. The press releases are similar enough, including when it comes to a statement from Abandon Biden Co-Chair Mongi Dhaouadi. "Our uncommitted vote is a message to the Democratic leadership in our state that genocide is a red line. The Democrats need to understand that insisting on a candidate that does not commit to the sanctity of life deserves nothing but our uncommitted vote," said Dhaouadi.
In Rhode Island, 14.9 percent of voters in the Democratic Party went for "uncommitted," while 11.6 percent did in Connecticut, and 8.3 percent selected "uninstructed delegate" in Wisconsin.
Abandon Biden also worked with the Political Engagement Committee of the Connecticut Palestine Solidarity Coalition, urging voters to select "uncommitted" in that state.
Another quote, however, which comes from Hassan Abdel Salam, begs the question as to what, if anything, can Biden actually do to appeal to such voters. The press releases demand a ceasefire, which Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and many other Democrats have indicated support for. However, their deadline of November 1, 2023, has long since come and gone. "We will save America from itself and punish Mr. Biden at the ballot box," Salam had declared.
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"Abandon Biden first emerged on November 1, 2023. Muslim leaders and their allies made an ultimatum to the president, calling him to call for a ceasefire by October 31, 2023; when Biden did not call for a ceasefire, Muslim leaders inaugurated Abandon Biden on 'Ceasefire Deadline Day' observed on November 1, 2023. Since November 1, 2023, a nationwide Abandon Biden movement emerged, promising to actively campaign against Biden," the press releases note for background.
Such questions also make Biden's increased abandonment of Israel even more potent, and not in a good way.
In addition to focusing on an immediate ceasefire, without any mention of the remaining hostages that Hamas still has in captivity, the press releases speak to a "civil rights" issue. "The Abandon Biden campaign is a civil rights struggle that stands for the premise that life must be protected. That includes all lives. Including the lives of the millions of people in Gaza who are under perpetual attack," Khaled Kansou was also quoted as saying.
All of the press releases also make claims about "the ongoing crisis in Gaza, which has tragically claimed the lives of over 30,000 civilians, including 13,000 children." There is evidence Hamas is twisting such numbers to use as propaganda.
The press release about Wisconsin also referenced how high the stakes are in this key battleground state. RealClearPolling currently shows Trump leading by +0.6 in the state.
"Abandon Biden Declares Victory in the Wisconsin Primary, Results Point to Biden's Loss in November 2024," that release claimed. The press release also warns that "Abandon Biden is focused on organizing in nine swing states, one of which is Wisconsin."
The press release also highlighted the number of votes--48,087--that were for "uninstructed delegate" as opposed to the 511,444 for Biden or the 17,794 for Rep. Dean Phillips, who suspended his campaign last month after Super Tuesday. Another detail highlighted is how Biden won Wisconsin in 2020 by close to 21,000 votes, after Trump had won in 2016 by close to 23,000 votes.
Michigan, which held its primary in late February, is the most noteworthy of swing states to do with the Israel-Hamas war and also arguably overall. Although Biden won the Democratic primary in Michigan with 81.1 percent of the vote, or 623,545 votes, 13.2 percent still went "uncommitted," which translates to 101,467 votes. The effort to vote "uncommitted" there has been supported by Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib, whose 12th Congressional District in Michigan includes Dearborn, which has the largest Muslim population in the United States per capita.
Trump leads Biden in Michigan for the November election by +3.4, according to RealClearPolling.
Muslim voters also rejected Biden in another way on Tuesday night, as many Muslims boycotted the White House's annual Iftar invitation, which turned into a meeting that some participants who did attend walked out of, and instead lambasted the president from outside of the White House.
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