
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Democrat defection of &#8220;uncommitted voters&#8221; has spread from Michigan to other states, a bitter reminder for Joe Biden of how his own party is turning on him over his handling of the Israeli-Hamas conflict.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A week after 101,000 Michigan voters chose “uncommitted” on their ballots, so did roughly 263,000 voters in the five Super Tuesday states where similar ballot options were available. Minnesota, which had the most organized effort outside of Michigan, saw 1 in 5 Democratic voters mark the “uncommitted” option, a higher percentage than the 13% who voted uncommitted in Michigan.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Supporters of the protest argue that anger over the war could endanger Biden&#8217;s chances in swing states like Michigan against former President Donald Trump in their now-confirmed rematch. Biden&#8217;s allies believe disaffected Democrats will return to the president&#8217;s fold when faced with a choice between him and Trump, who the president&#8217;s campaign has argued is a threat to democracy and is planning a sweeping set of policy changes that would attack liberal priorities.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">While the reasons for voters favoring unpledged delegates over Biden may differ, the choice has been increasingly pushed as a protest vote against Biden’s handling of the conflict in Gaza, where more than 30,000 people have been killed, two-thirds of them women and children, in Israel&#8217;s offensive following Hamas&#8217; Oct. 7 attack that killed 1,200 people.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Results of how many uncommitted voters or “leave it blank” protest votes have yet to be totally tabulated in “Super Tuesday Two” states like Washington and Georgia, where both Trump and Biden gained enough delegates to clinch the expected 2024 rematch. Despite that, growing disaffection of Dems over Biden&#8217;s handling of the Israel-Hamas War – especially among younger voters – could spell trouble for the current president come November.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“We wanted to show that these voters not only morally matter but politically matter as well. Because if they sit out the election, which it seems like many of them might, that would have severe consequences for Biden,&#8221; said Waleed Shahid, a Democratic strategist who first organized the “uncommitted” effort in Michigan.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Marcus <a>Casillas</a>, 29, was one of the 51,000 people who voted uncommitted in Colorado&#8217;s March 5 primary. The aerospace engineer was inspired by Michigan voters and chose “uncommitted” rather than another Democratic candidate because “being part of a more organized protest vote seemed appropriate.”</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">&#8220;I firmly believe that in order for me to vote for someone, they need to earn the vote,” he said.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Organizers of the original protest in Michigan say sentiments from voters in other states, like those of Mr. Casillas, make them feel they&#8217;ve already exceeded expectations.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">&#8220;One of the coolest comments that I&#8217;ve read is people saying this is the most organized they&#8217;ve seen Democrats in a really long time,&#8221; said Asma Nizami, a spokesperson for Minnesota&#8217;s &#8220;uncommitted&#8221; campaign. &#8220;We&#8217;re doing it across state lines, and we&#8217;re doing it together.&#8221;</p>

Democrat Defection Over Gaza Spreads From Michigan
