A group of Democrats who started a movement in opposition to President Biden’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza sent a clear message in the Michigan primary, exceeding the amount of votes the group was aiming for and complicating the key battleground state ahead of this year’s general election.
“Yesterday was a resounding victory,” Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, who joined the “Listen to Michigan” movement, said during a news conference Wednesday claiming victory for the movement.
The comments come following the movement’s push to have Democratic voters select “uncommitted” in Tuesday’s Democratic primary surpassed the group’s expectations, with just over 101,000 people selecting the option, according to Associated Press numbers as of Wednesday afternoon. That mark was more than 10 times the group’s stated goal, which was to get 10,000 people, or roughly the same as the margin of victory in the 2016 election in the state, to select the option.
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Despite the apparent resounding success, Biden easily captured the state and gained 115 delegates while hauling in over 81% of the vote, further solidifying his grasp on the nomination and setting up a likely rematch with former President Donald Trump in November.
“I want to thank every Michigander who made their voice heard today. Exercising the right to vote and participating in our democracy is what makes America great,” Biden said in a statement after the Michigan victory while warning that there is “much left to do” to defeat Trump in November. “You’ve heard me say many times it’s never a good bet to bet against the United States of America. It’s never a good bet to bet against Michiganders either. This fight for our freedoms, for working families, and for Democracy is going to take all of us coming together. I know that we will.”
Meanwhile, Listen to Michigan supporters have warned they are willing to continue growing the movement ahead of the general election, a potential headache for the Biden campaign in a battleground state that has seen close margins in the last two presidential elections.
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Reached for comment by Fox News Digital, a Biden campaign spokesperson noted that the share of uncommitted votes, 11%, was actually in line with the previous time an incumbent was on the ballot in the state in a Democratic primary, which was during the 2012 re-election campaign of Former President Barack Obama. Nevertheless, the spokesperson stressed that the campaign is still working hard to earn the votes of holdouts and will continue working towards peace in Gaza.
But the movement started by Listen to Michigan may not be in Biden’s rearview mirror after Michigan, with the group saying activists in future primary states have reached out about joining the cause.
“Two of the states where organizers have reached out specifically are Minnesota and Washington State,” a Listen to Michigan spokesperson said during Wednesday’s news conference. “We have our eye on those states… and are ready to have conversations with anybody organizing for an anti-war future.”
The organization has also brushed off suggestions that it may at least indirectly help Trump regain the presidency, arguing that it is up to Biden to earn their votes.
“We are not electing Donald Trump. President Biden is the one seeking the highest office, and he is the candidate who’s facing off against Donald Trump,” Hammoud said. “He has to earn the votes of the constituency that he’s trying to serve.”
