#####Success of a grassroot movement campaign
Since last October, continuing protests attempt to exert pressure on the White House and President Biden to change existing policies on the Middle East. However, it appears such demands remain unheard by the elected officials. This ultimately led to increasing discontentment of opposing Democrats, who decided to take the matter into their own hands. This is how the Listen to Michigan movement emerged, convincing Democratic voters to cast their ballots for “uncommitted”, as
over 10% did in Michigan and then Minnesota.
#####Super Tuesday raises questions
During the Super Tuesday primary elections, which are used to determine the likely presidential nominees, “uncommitted” votes were casted in Michigan and six other states. In Michigan, which is a state with a large Arab and Muslim population, with over 90% of votes counted,
almost 20% of Democrats’ were marked as “uncommitted” to show the voters’ opposition to President Biden’s unchanging policies. In the other six states, the support for the “uncommitted” ballot
ranged between 3.9% (Iowa) and 12.7% (North Carolina). Michigan is a state of particular importance in the upcoming elections, given it is a swing state.
#####The power of the “uncommitted”
The movement and its spread around the country brought attention to the demands of campaigners against the US’ form of support allocation in the Middle East. The activists underlined that they are neither anti-Biden, nor pro-Trump when addressing the allegations of Democratic officials about weakening Biden’s position in the November elections.
They used the primary to “hold our own side accountable, to really make them listen to what the people want”, thus giving President Biden time to win the votes back by changing his stance. The “uncommitted” campaign had its first successes on the line with the White House, as Vice President Kamala Harris recently called for changes in the region such as better access to humanitarian aid, with blunter criticisms than the President’s. The organizers are hopeful that their mobilization and democratic pressure will bring about much awaited results.