They called for voters to 'abandon Biden' over Gaza. Now what?

More than 700,000 Americans in states across the country cast Democratic primary votes for “uncommitted” or its equivalent, including 47,000 in New Jersey, some of whom used their ballots to protest President Joe Biden over his support for war in Gaza.

After calling for voters to “abandon Biden,” organizers are now shifting their attention to the next potential Democratic nominee. Biden might be out, they say, but their agenda is unchanged.

“Moving forward, we are hoping whoever is the new nominee listens to the people of New Jersey and to the Democrats in America and what we have said,” said Fatima Mughal, an organizer with the UncommittedNJ campaign, referring to ending the war in Gaza.

Many Arab American and progressive voters cheered news that Biden had left the race, saying his staunch support for Israel had fueled war in Gaza. Now, they are calling for the nominee who replaces him to commit to a permanent cease-fire and to ending military support for Israel.

Political organizers see Biden’s exit from the race as an opportunity to reengage with a political party they feel has ignored their concerns. They say the war in Gaza has become a divisive issue for Democratic voters, especially for Arab and Muslim Americans. Although they make up a small voting group, they stress that their numbers are large enough in swing states Michigan, Florida and Virginia to impact the outcome of the election.

In Michigan alone, over 100,000 voters cast their ballots as uncommitted, more than 13% of the total votes cast. Donald Trump won the presidential election in Michigan in 2016 by just 10,704 votes.

Wait and see

In New Jersey, 46,988 people voted for the uncommitted line, enough to send two delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Delegates are responsible for nominating presidential candidates.

One of the delegates, Ahmad Awad of Wayne, said he was waiting to hear more from the candidates on their policies in the Middle East. If Vice President Kamala Harris is the nominee, he hoped she would meet with and listen to Arab American and Muslim leaders.

“We have to focus and try to get her to adopt a policy shift,” he said. “The biggest thing is for an immediate and permanent cease-fire in Gaza. If she is willing to adopt some of these measures in her platform, I think uncommitted [leaders] would be willing to support her for president.”

Since Biden announced his withdrawal from the race Sunday, many have scrambled to analyze Harris’ past comments on Gaza. Her statements, some say, have been more sympathetic than those of Biden, who was often viewed as indifferent toward Palestinian victims. Harris has not directly opposed Biden’s staunch support for Israel, but she was one of the first high-profile members of his administration to call for an immediate temporary cease-fire in March and has acknowledged the “immense scale of suffering” in Gaza, USA TODAY reported.

Still, for many Democrats, it is a matter of wait-and-see. Samer Khalaf, an Arab American community leader from Paramus, said he would like to see the nominee pledge to replace Biden’s advisors on the Middle East, who he viewed as “disastrous” for the region.

“We still don’t know totally where she stands,” Khalaf said, about Harris. “A lot of organizations are calling for her to come out and make a strong statement supporting a cease-fire. What she does in the next few days is going to be determinative.”

It's not just Michigan.Some NJ voters vow to ‘abandon Biden’ in presidential primary

It will take work for the Democratic Party to regain trust of Arab American voters, he added, saying Biden’s response to the conflict had alienated them. Other Democrats, he said, had supported anti-Palestinian bills in Congress and pushed voices critical of Israel out of the party.

“A large portion of the community have had it and are done not just with Biden’s people, but with the Democratic Party,” Khalaf said.

How will they vote?

Some voters are considering alternatives, such as voting for Donald Trump or third-party candidates, while many say they may sit out the election. That would be a mistake, warns Awad, calling the Republican presidential candidate “a real threat to democracy.” Trump has also been a staunch supporter of Israel, he noted.

When she canvassed for signatures for the uncommitted line in New Jersey, Mughal also heard from voters who felt alienated from the party.

“We were hearing people had either switched parties or become independent,” she said. “When asked about the election, many of them said they were going to sit out. I don’t see that changing, especially with Kamala Harris, who has the same record in Palestine as Biden does.”

Maryam Atalla, a registered Democrat from Bergen County, voted uncommitted in the primary.

“Honestly, it’s not really looking good for the Democratic party and people like me who are uncommitted,” Atalla said. “I don’t know what the next steps are. I don’t really feel hopeful. My values align more with Democrats generally, but the number one reason I go out and vote is because of Palestine.”

Hudhayfah Ahmad, spokesperson for the Abandon Biden campaign, said the campaign didn't end with Biden, and that it also means abandoning the legacy and the decision-making and the policy-making of Biden for the last nine months. Voters should pay close attention to what party leaders do over the next few weeks.

“Vote your conscience," he said. "Don’t get complacent and continue with the stated goal.”