lighting
US presidential election: Will Joe Biden pay for his pro-Israeli policy at the polls?
Anger against Joe Biden's pro-Israeli line emerged on Tuesday in Michigan, where more than 100,000 voters voted “blank” in the Democratic primary.
Beyond highlighting the deep divisions within the Democratic Party over the war in Gaza, this protest vote could jeopardize the American president's chances in a crucial state where the race with Donald Trump is already tight.
Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud speaks during election night, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, in Dearborn, Michigan.
AP - Carlos Osorio
By: Caroline Renaux Follow
Advertisement
Read more
Tuesday, February 27, city of Dearborn, central Michigan.
A scent of victory floats in the city, where nearly 6,300 voters checked the “noncommitted” box – or “uncommitted” – on the ballot for the Michigan Democratic primary.
In front of the screen announcing the results, the supporters of the blank vote dance the dabkeh to the tunes of traditional Palestinian music and chant “
Ceasefire!”
".
In the state of Michigan, where there is a large Arab-American community, more than
100,000 voters used this sanction vote
as a means of protesting against the pro-Israeli policy of the White House.
In total, around 13% of the ballots placed in the ballot boxes carry the words “uncommitted”.
For the “Listen to Michigan” group, which has been campaigning in this direction for several weeks, this is a “
victory
” aimed at warning the Democratic candidate.
“
Don’t count on us to finance the war and the genocide in Gaza
,” writes the movement on X, formerly Twitter.
If it was not enough to defeat the president in the state of Michigan or to change - for the moment - his unconditional support for Israel, the result "
massively exceeded our expectations
", welcomed the group on Tuesday February 27.
“Listen to Michigan” aimed to reach 10,000 blank votes, the equivalent of the margin by which Donald Trump had beaten Hillary Clinton by a breath in this state in 2016. Enough to worry the tenant of the White House, who won it in 2020 with only 154,000 votes ahead of the outgoing president.
“
In this state, a few voices can make the difference
,” points out Nicole Bacharan, political scientist and historian, specialist in the United States.
Read alsoPresidential election in the United States: in Michigan, Joe Biden tries to win back the popular vote
A State as decisive as it is tight
While most of the latest polls show Donald Trump winning next November, an angry vote in a state as decisive as Michigan is certainly a thorn in the side of his Democratic rival.
“
Michigan is a key state: it provides 16 electors for the final election and it is one of these famous
“swing states”
, namely a pivotal state which sometimes swings to the Democratic side, sometimes to the Republican side
” , analyzes Nicole Bacharan.
However, “
if Biden does not win Michigan, it bodes very badly for his victory in November
,” she specifies.
As the
number of Palestinian casualties increases
in the war in Gaza, Joe Biden sees Arab-Muslim support crumbling in this territory.
However, these traditionally Democratic votes proved crucial to his victory in 2020. “
It is in this state that
Democrats have long been able to count on the loyal support of voters from minorities resulting from waves of immigration
,” says Simon Grivet, lecturer in American history and civilization at the University of Lille, at the microphone of
Marine Lebègue
, journalist in the international service of RFI.
Could this sanction vote during the primaries be repeated next November?
According to several “Listen to Michigan” organizers, most pro-Palestinian Democrats will put Biden's name in the ballot boxes during the presidential election, but only on the condition that he changes course regarding his support for the Jewish state.
“
We don’t want a Trump presidency, but Biden put Netanyahu before American democracy
,” the group wrote.
Also read US presidential election: Is Joe Biden becoming a liability for American Democrats?
The risk of demobilization
Under pressure, the candidate for his re-election has increased the signs of attention towards his pro-Palestinian electorate, whether by taking sanctions
against Israeli settlers
or by evoking a potential truce in the fighting.
As the primary approaches, on the set of the show “Late Night with Seth Meyers”, this Monday, February 26 on NBC, the American president once again raised the prospect of a “
temporary ceasefire
” , which could lead to “
a process to arrive at a two-state solution
”, although far from immediate.
“
Israel has received overwhelming support from the vast majority of nations.
If he continues with his incredibly conservative government, he will lose the support of the whole world
,” he warned during the interview.
This balancing act, however, was not enough to resolve the divisions within the Democratic camp.
“
While we have noticed a slight change in language from Mr. Biden as a direct result of pressure from this campaign, we know his words are not enough
,” reads the X account of “Listen to Michigan.”
According to them, the tenant of the White House should call for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
An impossible maneuver for Washington, a long-time supporter of Israel, which
vetoed three
United Nations Security Council resolutions on the subject.
“
Biden must find a balance between reassuring the center and center right, who would naturally be Republican voters, but who still want to oppose Trump, and his left which is in a position of critical support
,” explains Simon Grivet .
The president cannot afford to have insufficient mobilization if he wants to beat Trump.
If there is no ceasefire and if there is a bloody Israeli offensive on Rafah, it will be much more complicated
.
»
In a press release, Joe Biden reacted to his victory in this primary by thanking “
all the residents of Michigan who made their voices heard
”, but without ever mentioning this protest vote.
Read alsoGaza: faced with fear of an Israeli assault, refugees leave Rafah
Newsletter
Receive all the international news directly in your inbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
Share :
Continue reading on the same themes:
Joe Biden
Donald Trump
UNITED STATES
our selection
Gaza