Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) is urging Democrats not to vote for President Joe Biden in the Michigan presidential primary to protest his policies toward Israel and Gaza.
Tlaib, a 47-year-old lawmaker who has served in Congress since 2019, posted a video on social media Saturday where she urged residents of her district to vote “uncommitted” on their ballots during the Feb. 27 contest rather than giving their vote to Biden.
“It is important, as you all know, to not only march against the genocide, not only make sure we’re calling our members of Congress … it is also important to create a voting bloc, something that is a bullhorn to say enough is enough,” Tlaib said while standing in front of an early voting facility in Dearborn, the city with the highest per capita share of Muslims in the U.S.
“We don’t want a country that supports wars and bombs and destruction. We want to support life. We want to stand up for every single life killed in Gaza,” Tlaib said.
“This is the way you can raise our voices, to make us even more visible,” she continued. “Right now, we feel completely neglected — neglected and just unseen by our government. If you want us to be louder, then come here and vote uncommitted.”
The push appears to be part of the Listen to Michigan campaign, which hopes to use the ballot box to push Biden into changing U.S. policy related to the war between Israel and Hamas, the terrorist group that controls Gaza and spearheaded the Oct. 7 rocket bombardment and massacre of civilians in southern Israel.
The Listen to Michigan movement’s campaign manager is Tlaib’s sister, Layla Elabed, who told the Detroit News that some 150,000 calls were logged by volunteers in just the first week alone. The group is hoping that if a major share of voters sends protest votes, it will get the attention of Biden and ultimately affect foreign policy change through the ballot box.
Biden has faced scrutiny from the Left over his administration’s handling of the war. Some in his party think that he has done too much to assist Tel Aviv and not enough to push for assistance to Gazans or, even more controversially, a ceasefire in Gaza.
Michigan is a crucial battleground state in the coming general election. Its 16 Electoral College votes helped former President Donald Trump cement a win in 2016, but just four years later, it was won by Biden during the 2020 presidential election.
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Biden appears to be cruising toward a rematch election with Trump this year, so securing the support of as many voters as possible in the Wolverine State is a major priority, which is why organizers of the Listen to Michigan campaign think the push might be especially effective.
The Michigan presidential primary is set for Feb. 27.