The progressive US congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has urged fellow Michigan Democrats to vote “uncommitted” in the state’s presidential primary election, even at the expense of the party’s incumbent, Joe Biden, scheduled for late February.
In a video shared by Listen to Michigan, a political campaign aimed at encouraging the state’s voters to opt for “uncommitted” in the February 27 primary, Tlaib explained her decision, citing Israel’s military strikes on Gaza. Local authorities report nearly 29,000 Palestinians killed since last October.
As Congress’s sole Palestinian American lawmaker, Tlaib criticized the Biden administration’s support for Israel, which initiated its military offensive in Gaza following Hamas attacks on October 7 that claimed about 1,200 Israeli lives.
Addressing the audience at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn, home to one of the largest Arab American populations in the US, Tlaib emphasized the importance of taking action beyond protests and advocacy. She stated, “It is important … to not only march against the genocide, not only make sure that we’re calling our members of Congress and local elected [officials], and passing city resolutions all throughout our country. It is also important to create a voting bloc, something that is a bullhorn to say, ‘Enough is enough.’”
Tlaib emphasized, “We don’t want a country that supports war and bombs and destruction. We want to support life. We want to stand up for every single life killed in Gaza … This is the way you can raise our voices. Don’t make us even more invisible. Right now, we feel completely neglected and just unseen by our government.”
She urged voters to “vote uncommitted” instead of supporting Biden, the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee for November’s presidential election, to amplify their voices. This plea echoed the sentiments of Listen to Michigan, a campaign managed by Tlaib’s sister, Layla Elabed.
Elabed explained to Business Insider, “Voting uncommitted is our way of demanding change, and this is going to be our vehicle to return political power back to us.”
More than 30 elected officials across southeast Michigan have already committed to voting “uncommitted” in the state’s February 27 primary elections. Among them are Dearborn mayor Abdullah Hammoud, city council members, and state representatives.
In a statement released earlier this month by Listen to Michigan, it was emphasized, “Let us be clear: we unequivocally demand that the Biden administration immediately call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. We must hold our president unaccountable and ensure that we, the American taxpayers, are no longer forced to be accomplices in a genocide that is backed and funded by the United States government.”
The statement further asserted, “Therefore, we pledge to check the box for ‘uncommitted’ on our ballots in the upcoming presidential primary election. These are not empty words; they signify our steadfast commitment to justice, dignity, and the sanctity of human life, which is greater than loyalty to any candidate or party.”
As pressure mounts on the 81-year-old president over his handling of Israel’s military strikes in Gaza and scrutiny over his age, Arab and Muslim Americans across several swing states, including Michigan, have mobilized campaigns under the slogan #AbandonBiden.
Tlaib’s recent video announcement has sparked mixed reactions.
Former Ohio Democratic state senator Nina Turner tweeted, “Arab Americans do not want their tax dollars going to kill their family members. It’s unnerving to see the liberal response to that demand. Rashida Tlaib is absolutely justified to endorse this.”
On the other hand, in response to Tlaib’s endorsement of Listen Michigan, the conservative group Republicans Against questioned on X who among Democrats would challenge the congresswoman ahead of her re-election bid in November.
Tlaib faced censure by the Republican-led US House last year for her criticisms of Israel. In response, she stated that she would “not be silenced” and emphasized, “Palestinian people are not disposable.”