Wisconsin primary tests 'uncommitted' vote on Biden's Israel stance
Opposition to President Joe Biden's strong support of Israel's war against Hamas faces a fresh test on Tuesday in Wisconsin where pop-up groups on a shoestring budget are urging voters to mark themselves uncommitted in the state's Democratic primary. Pop-up groups in Wisconsin are urging voters to declare themselves "uncommitted" in the state's Democratic primary, challenging President Joe Biden's strong support of Israel's war against Hamas. The goal is to get 20,682 voters to mark their ballots "uninstructed," Wisconsin's version of "committed." This is significant as Biden won by that number in the 2020 presidential election. The organizers are demanding that Biden calls for a permanent ceasefire and stop military aid to Israel. So far, these movements have won 25 delegates in five states, but the impact on this will likely be minimal in November.
Published : 2 months ago by Nandita Bose in Politics World
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about rebuilding communities and creating well-paying jobs during a visit to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S., March 13, 2024. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab
WASHINGTON, April 1 (Reuters) - Opposition to President Joe Biden's strong support of Israel's war against Hamas faces a fresh test on Tuesday in Wisconsin where pop-up groups on a shoestring budget are urging voters to mark themselves uncommitted in the state's Democratic primary.
For two weeks, 60 grassroots groups and organizers have advanced their cause with phone banks, mailers, banners, knocks on doors and "friend banks" where volunteers contact friends who then contact their friends.
Their goal is to get 20,682 voters to mark their ballots "uninstructed," Wisconsin's version of "uncommitted." The number is significant. Biden, a Democrat, beat Republican Donald Trump by that number in the state in the 2020 presidential election.
"We're watching the precincts in Madison and Milwaukee the closest and there is a flurry of activity in those areas," said Halah Ahmad, a spokeswoman for the "uninstructed" campaign in Wisconsin, a state with an open primary where voters need not register a party to vote.
Biden campaign spokeswoman Lauren Hitt said the president "shares the goal for an end to the violence and a just, lasting peace in the Middle East. He's working tirelessly to that end."
Organizers demand that Biden call for a permanent ceasefire and stop military aid to Israel as they plan for the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August, where Biden is expected to be nominated.
"The White House has changed its rhetoric on the war to where it should have been since the start, but they are still failing to demonstrate a meaningful policy shift when it comes to weapons and funding," said Abbas Alawieh, a top official for the national uncommitted campaign.
More than 4,500 delegates will gather in Chicago to formally nominate Biden. So far, uncommitted movements have won 25 delegates in five states, but Alawieh said he sees the meeting as an "important inflection point for the movement."
In 2016, Trump flipped both battleground states as he defeated Hillary Clinton and won the White House; Biden took them back from Trump in 2020.
Conventional wisdom among Democrats is that inflation remains the bigger concern for voters in U.S. Midwestern states like Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin and the impact from the uncommitted movement there will be minimal in November.
Adrian Hemond, a political analyst and chief executive of the consulting firm Grassroots Midwest, who previously worked for Democrats in Michigan, said the uncommitted movement needs 20 to 25% in swing state primaries.
"So far that hasn't been the case," he said.
"We made over 200,000 calls in four days before the primary," said Asma Nizami, an organizer with Vote Uncommitted Minnesota, who is a part of the national uncommitted group. Wisconsin's Ahmad said the state is using the same dialer system to reach 15,000 to 20,000 voters a day.
"It's almost unheard-of for political campaigns to be up and running as fast," Alawieh said. "But this movement is grounded in historic levels of anti-war organizing since October."
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