Joe Biden is expected to easily win the Democratic presidential primary in Michigan, even though some people voted against him because of his position on the war in Gaza.
In the past few weeks, activists have been telling Democrats to vote “uncommitted”, and a lot of people did.
Many people were surprised because Mr. Biden won 80% of the votes according to the latest CBS News projection, which was more than expected.
He thanked everyone from Michigan who spoke up today.
The US helps Israel by giving them a lot of money for their military. Earlier this month, the US said no to a UN decision asking for a quick stop to fighting in Gaza. Instead, the US suggested its own plan for a short break in fighting.
Many people, including some in President Biden’s party, are upset with the US’s stance on Israel’s military campaign and want the president to take a tougher stance.
He talked about the good things his government has done in the state and criticized his opponent, Donald Trump, but didn’t talk about the votes against him.
They say Mr. Trump is likely to win the Republican primary in the state on Tuesday. He said it was a great day for him. “We will win by a lot,” he said at a party for the campaign.
The recent primary contests show that the two main candidates are likely to compete in the November election, just like they did in 2020.
Michigan is an important state in choosing the president, and it has picked the winning president in the last two elections. Biden received less support from Arab-Americans because of his support for Israel during its military campaign in Gaza, even though there are a lot of Arab-Americans in the country.
Members of Listen to Michigan celebrated the large number of votes for the “uncommitted” option as a win. People were crying at the organization’s party as the numbers were being updated from time to time.
Congressman Andy Levin, who supports the “uncommitted” vote, told the audience: “I don’t feel happy to be here tonight. ” This time is necessary because many people are dying.
On Tuesday, many people in Michigan chose to vote as “uncommitted” for the first time. Approximately 19,000 people voted in the 2020 primary election, and more than 21,601 voted in 2016. In 2008, 238,000 people voted after Barack Obama’s campaign told them to vote, since he wasn’t on the ballot because of problems in the party.
But people in Michigan have been working for months to tell Mr. Biden that they won’t vote unless he stops the fighting in Gaza.
At Salina Intermediate School in Dearborn, the BBC talked to Hala, who is 32 years old. She said she voted “uncommitted”. The school is near a big Ford factory.
She said she didn’t want to vote for Genocide Joe because of allegations against the Israeli military in Gaza, which Israel denies.
Hala, who didn’t want to share her last name for privacy reasons, said she voted for Mr. Biden last time, but she’s not sure if she will do it again in the next election. “Perhaps he could stop the fighting now, but I don’t think he will,” she said.
Earlier this week, Mr. Biden said he wants the fighting in Gaza to stop by Monday. There are reports of progress in talks between Israel and Hamas.
On election day, other Democrats told the media that they still support Mr. Biden, including Kim Murdough, who works at a church in Flint.
“I chose the Democratic party when I voted. ” “I don’t have a problem with anything the administration has done,” she said.
She also said that she is not worried about Mr. Biden’s age, which is 81, and it does not affect her decision. “I would prefer to have someone in charge who forgets things sometimes, rather than a criminal,” she said, talking about Mr. Trump, who is dealing with criminal charges from the government.
Margaret Won also voted for Mr. BidenShe is mostly pleased with the work the president has done, but she said he has been stopped from achieving some of his goals by Republicans in Congress.
She wants the presidential candidates to be younger and would consider voting for Nikki Haley if she beats Mr Trump to the Republican nomination.
Ms Haley has not won any primary contests against Mr. This trend continued on Tuesday.
In Michigan, anyone can vote in the primary elections. Democrats, Republicans, and independents can all vote, but they need to ask for a specific party’s ballot when voting.
The Republican delegates in the state will be finally given to a candidate at a convention this weekend. These delegates are important for a candidate to win their party’s nomination.
In the current fight between Israel and Hamas, 39 state and local leaders, like congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, supported the “uncommitted” movement.
Ms Tlaib’s sister was in charge of the Listen to Michigan campaign. The goal was to get 10,000 “uncommitted” votes, but they got a lot more than that.
Samraa Luqman, who is working with the Abandon Biden campaign, wants to remove someone from their position because a lot of people have died and they haven’t called for a ceasefire.
A different lady told the BBC that she changed her political party to Republican because of the conflict in the Middle East. She didn’t want to say her name.
Senator Gary Peters, from Michigan, said at a meeting organized by the Biden campaign that the president knows what voters are worried about when it comes to Gaza.
However, the White House has been hesitant to change its support, giving billions of dollars in military help to Israel and blocking a UN Security Council resolution for a ceasefire three times.
The US wants the fighting to stop and supports Israel’s right to find and stop the Hamas gunmen who killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel. At least 30,000 people, mostly women and children, have died in Gaza, according to the health ministry led by Hamas.