By Joey Cappelletti, Associated Press
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The protest-vote movement over President Joe Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war has spread to several states and raised more questions about whether a small but significant number of Democrats angry at Biden might abandon him in November.
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.
Organizers are watching the state of Washington’s primary on Tuesday to see how many voters select “uncommitted.” And a “Leave It Blank” campaign has formed for Georgia’s Tuesday primary that’s intended to have the same effect, as is a “uninstructed” vote in Wisconsin’s April 2 primary.
Supporters of the protest argue anger over the war could endanger Biden’s chances in swing states like Michigan against former President Donald Trump in their likely rematch. Biden’s allies believe disaffected Democrats will return to the president’s fold when faced with a choice between him and Trump, who the president’s campaign has argued is a threat to democracy and is planning a sweeping set of policy changes that would attack liberal priorities.
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’s offensive following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that killed 1,200 people.
“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…
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