During the presidential primary in Minnesota, nearly 45,000 Democrats opted to vote for “uncommitted” rather than President Joe Biden, according to unofficial results from nearly all precincts on Tuesday night.
This significant turnout was part of an effort to protest the Israel-Hamas conflict and exert political pressure on the White House to call for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza.
The number of votes for “uncommitted” exceeded the 7.8% who cast their ballots for Minnesota’s own U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, who launched a longshot campaign against Biden.
Minnesota’s Uncommitted Protest Vote (Credits: Al Jazeera)
Organizers behind the “uncommitted” movement in Minnesota expressed satisfaction with the turnout, seeing it as a victory in delivering a message to the Biden administration regarding dissatisfaction with its stance on the war.
Asma Mohammed, a lead organizer for Uncommitted Minnesota, emphasized that the goal was to convey to President Biden that Democrats are weary of unwavering support for what they view as a genocidal regime. “Today we are showing him that Minnesota is on the side of justice and humanity,” Mohammed stated.
In the 2020 election, Uncommitted garnered approximately 2,600 votes. While the group did not establish a specific threshold to surpass before Super Tuesday, they celebrated the high turnout, which is likely to result in delegates for the national convention in August.
Activists like Mohammed engaged in extensive outreach efforts, including phone calls and door-knocking, to connect with thousands of voters over the weekend and encourage them to support the “uncommitted” movement.
Similar initiatives took place in other states, such as Michigan, where 100,000 voters selected “uncommitted” in the Democratic presidential primary.
One “uncommitted” voter, Bethany Waldron, expressed a desire to send a strong message to President Biden, stating, “He needs to listen to his constituents and the American people. We don’t want to see a genocide happening.”
