Rep. Rashida Tlaib urges Michigan Democrats to vote 'uncommitted' in protest against Biden

WASHINGTON ― Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., is urging Michigan Democrats to vote "uncommitted" in the state's upcoming Democratic primary in a display of opposition against President Joe Biden over his support for Israel's war in the Gaza Strip.

"This is the way you can raise our voices," Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American in Congress, said in a video posted Saturday, standing outside an early voting site in Dearborn, Mich. "Right now, we feel completely neglected and just unseen by our government. If you want us to be louder, then come here and vote uncommitted.”

Michigan's Democratic Primary is Feb. 27.

Tlaib, a member of "The Squad" whose district includes parts of Detroit and surrounding communities, is joining forces with Arab American activists who are also urging Michigan Democrats to vote "uncommitted" to send a message.

Dearborn, Mich., outside of Detroit, boasts a thriving Arab-American community that has grown to make up a majority of the city's population. Many residents there say they feel abandoned by Biden because of his backing of Israel's war against Hamas, which has killed more than 28,000 Palestinian civilians. Tlaib has demanded the Biden administration support a cease-fire in Gaza.

More: Arab Americans feel 'a bone-deep sense of betrayal.' And they want Joe Biden defeated in 2024

By voting "uncommitted," Tlaib said the goal is to "create a voting bloc, something that is a bullhorn to say enough is enough. We don't want a country that supports wars and bombs and destruction. We want to support life."

Last year, the House of Representatives censured Tlaib for comments she made about the Israel-Hamas war, including “from the river to the sea,” a pro-Palestinian slogan that Israel’s supporters say is anti-Semitic and a call to destroy the state of Israel.

Biden, lacking a formidable Democratic challenger, is expected to easily win Michigan's primary even with a strong protest vote. But a solid showing for "uncommitted" in the primary could signal trouble for Biden in the November general election in Michigan, a critical battleground state.

Biden, who carried Michigan by 154,188 votes in 2020, risks losing some Arab American voters to liberal third-party candidates, while others could sit the election out altogether, if their discontent remains.

Michigan’s “Abandon Biden” movement, part of a larger national campaign, is hosting meetings with third-party candidates such as Jill Stein and Cornel West. A separate initiative called “Listen to Michigan," which Tlaib has put her support behind, is calling on Michigan Democrats to vote “uncommitted” in the primary.

The backlash for Biden is so serious that the White House last week dispatched a large group of senior officials to meet with Arab-American leaders in Michigan. Participants in those meetings said the Biden officials conceded there had been “mistakes and missteps” in the response to the war in Gaza and apologized for how the administration has talked publicly about Palestinians during the deadly conflict.

Contributing: Michael Collins

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tlaib urges Michigan Dems to vote 'uncommitted' in protest of Biden