The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) on Sunday announced that it was endorsing an effort for primary voters to cast ballots for "uncommitted" instead of President Joe Biden ahead of this week's Super Tuesday.
The endorsement from the DSA comes after more than 100,000 Michigan Democratic primary voters cast ballots for uncommitted. This was done in protest of the Biden administration's support for Israel's government in its war against the Hamas militant group in Gaza.
Uncommitted Protest Against Joe Biden
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, DSA said that the number of people who voted uncommitted in the primary on Tuesday puts Biden on track to lose the election to former United States President Donald Trump. It argued that this could only be addressed if Biden listened to the working class of the United States and changed course.
The group also said that defeat is certain if the president fails to do so as it highlighted the killing of dozens of Palestinians in an incident around an aid convoy in northern Gaza. The DSA noted that more than 30,000 Palestinians have already lost their lives amid the conflict and questioned how many more should die before Biden works to stop the war, as per Axios.
The DSA currently has more than 92,000 members and chapters in all 50 states across the country. Last week, local chapters of the group and the Colorado Palestine Coalition announced that they were organizing a campaign to vote uncommitted instead of Biden during Super Tuesday.
The uncommitted votes express support for a party but not for any candidate on the ballot itself. In its Sunday social media post, the DSA said that until Biden's administration ends its support of Israel's genocide in Gaza and delivers a permanent ceasefire, he will bear the responsibility for another Trump presidency.
The uncommitted movement, which is led by Arab American community leaders and progressive activists and has the backing of notable politicians, including Rep. Rashida Tlaib, mobilized tens of thousands of Democrats in the state who oppose Biden's response to the conflict in Gaza.
Addressing the Israel-Hamas War
In recent weeks, the Democratic president has increased pressure on Israel amid deteriorating humanitarian conditions. He also encouraged a six-week ceasefire but he has refused calls from protesters to support a permanent ceasefire in the embattled region, according to The Hill.
The DSA said that the brutal "Flour Massacre" this week has proven once more that Israel is a "brutal, inhumane apartheid state." This was a reference to the killing of more than 100 civilians in Gaza.
Advocates said that the number of people who voted uncommitted instead of Biden serves as an enormous rebuke to Washington's backing of Israel. The situation is also a warning sign for Democratic lawmakers heading into the general election in November this year.
Palestinian-American human rights lawyer Huwaida Arraf said that the uncommitted tally is "huge." However, she added that the 101,000 votes on Tuesday do not fully convey the growing frustration of president Biden's policies, said Aljazeera.
