'Uncommitted' Michigan primary vote results: What happens next for Biden, campaign

A Michigan campaign used the ballot box to try and send a message to President Joe Biden during the presidential primary Tuesday in a state that could prove key to his 2024 reelection campaign.

A few weeks ahead of the election, cease-fire activists launched a campaign called Listen to Michigan urging voters to choose "uncommitted" instead of Biden in the Democratic primary.

The effort divided Democrats. Some argued it would pressure Biden to demand a permanent cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians. Such a shift in Biden's Gaza policies would boost his appeal among the Democratic base, they say. But Biden's top surrogate in Michigan — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer — characterized anything other than a vote for Biden on Tuesday as a boost for Trump's campaign.

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, who was one of more than 30 elected officials in Michigan who backed the "uncommitted" campaign, rejected that critique. "We are not electing Donald Trump," he said at a news briefing Wednesday at Haraz Coffee House in Dearborn.

Listen to Michigan campaign manager Layla Elabed turned Biden's refrain that the future of American democracy is on the line in the upcoming election back on the president. "Yesterday over 100,000 Michiganders across race and religion from urban, rural and suburban communities sent a clear message. Without listening to these voters and taking meaningful action, President Biden is putting our democracy at risk," she said.

How did 'uncommitted' campaign fare?

As of 1:15 p.m. Wednesday, Michigan saw 101,100 voters choose "uncommitted" in the Democratic primary, accounting for about 13.3% of the total vote share with nearly 99% of the estimated votes counted, according to results compiled by the Associated Press.

For context, that's more than the 11% "uncommitted" vote share during the last Democratic presidential incumbent sought reelection in 2012. But that year, there was not a concerted campaign calling on voters to pick "uncommitted." Instead, Listen to Michigan pointed to 2008 as a model for its campaign when Barack Obama's name didn't appear on the ballot but about 40% of voters heeded calls from his backers to choose "uncommitted."

In Dearborn — home to large Arab American and Muslim communities — Biden lost to the "uncommitted" vote by nearly 17 points, according to the city's unofficial results. Elsewhere in the state, the "uncommitted" vote made a stronger showing than the preliminary statewide total. For instance, in Ann Arbor's Washtenaw County 17% of voters in the Democratic primary chose "uncommitted," according to results from the county clerk's website.

Listen to Michigan expects to see at least two "uncommitted" delegates sent to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago with the 6th and 12th congressional districts anticipated to meet the threshold for "uncommitted" votes in the primary, according to Abbas Alawieh who cited the campaign's preliminary analysis at the news briefing.

How will Biden respond?

It's unclear how the "uncommitted" vote may impact Biden's campaign and his administration's handling of the war.

Biden did not mention the "uncommitted" vote in a statement Tuesday night. Instead, he focused on his likely rematch against former President Donald Trump, emphasizing what he views as the danger of a second term for his GOP rival. "Four years ago, it was Michigan’s diverse coalition that came together to reject Donald Trump’s MAGA extremism and sent me and Kamala to the White House," Biden said.

Michigan election:'Uncommitted' vote share surpasses 2012 with votes still trickling in

Listen to Michigan organizers blasted Biden's statement. Alawieh said the response "piled words upon word about the vote here in Michigan while shamefully ignoring our movement for peace and against war."

What happens next?

Backers of the Listen to Michigan "uncommitted" effort celebrated their own diverse coalition brought together to support the campaign.

"One of the ways that I'm looking at the victory is the coalition that has been built in just three weeks. It's a cross-section of America," state Rep. Alabas Farhat, D-Dearborn, told the Free Press at an election night gathering for Listen to Michigan supporters. "Coalitions last," he added.

And what that coalition may do following Michigan's primary remains unclear. Organizers of the Listen to Michigan emphasized throughout their last-minute campaign their focus was solely on the primary contest for now.

"Whatever happens in November, what I can say that it is going to be on Biden and his administration," said campaign manager Layla Elabad in an interview last week.

For now, the Listen to Michigan campaign has its eyes on other primary contests on the Democratic election calendar ahead of the party's nominating convention. "Two of the states where organizers have reached out specifically are Minnesota and Washington state," said Alawieh.

Meanwhile, some cease-fire activists have begun a push to deny Biden a second term.

Contact Clara Hendrickson:chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Follow her on X, previously called Twitter,@clarajanehen.

Free Press staff writer Kristi Tanner contributed to this article.

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