In Lansing, Michigan, leaders of the “Uncommitted” movement, which emerged from a Democratic protest vote against the Israel-Hamas war, have announced that they will not be endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for the upcoming presidential elections. Despite their decision not to endorse Harris, the group is strongly encouraging their supporters to vote against Donald Trump in November’s elections. The movement gained significant traction during Democratic primaries earlier this year as a way to protest President Joe Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Leaders of the movement have been urging the administration to reconsider its approach to the situation, emphasizing that failure to do so could lead to Democratic voter abstention, especially in swing states like Michigan.
Following months of dialogue with top Democratic officials, dissatisfaction among the protest voters deepened after the Democratic National Convention. The group’s demands, including a speaking slot at the convention, were not met, exacerbating their grievances. A statement released by the movement’s leaders highlighted their dismay with Harris’ stance on unconditional weapons policies and her failure to make a clear campaign commitment to upholding U.S. and international human rights laws as reasons for withholding their endorsement.
The “Uncommitted” group explicitly stated their opposition to supporters voting for Trump or any third-party candidate, which could inadvertently contribute to a Trump victory. Instead, they are urging voters to cast “anti-Trump votes” and to pay attention to all levels of the ballot. The leaders expressed the belief that their movement’s ability to effect change rests in bolstering their anti-war advocacy, warning that a Trump administration could undermine their progress.
The movement’s requests for a Palestinian American speaker at the DNC were not fulfilled, prompting a deadline of September 15 for Harris’ campaign to address their demand for a meeting with Palestinian American families in Michigan to discuss halting arms sales to Israel and securing a permanent ceasefire. It is claimed that these requests were disregarded by the vice president’s campaign.
The movement originated in Michigan, where over 100,000 voters marked “Uncommitted” in the state’s Democratic primary. Michigan hosts a significant population of Arab Americans, a key electoral group in the battleground state. Both presidential candidates have been actively engaging with leaders in metro Detroit’s Arab American community. Harris recently met with the mayor of Dearborn, the largest Arab American community in the U.S., while Trump sought the endorsement of the mayor of Hamtramck, a predominantly Muslim city in metro Detroit, during a meeting on Tuesday.
