More than 30 southeast Michigan officials including Dearborn Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud have pledged to vote “uncommitted” in the Democratic presidential primary election on Feb. 27.
The officials signed a letter on Feb. 6 following the campaign announcement by Listen to Michigan urging Michiganders to “Vote Uncommitted” in order to send a message to President Joe Biden on his handling of the war in Gaza.
“We must hold our president accountable and ensure that we, the American taxpayers, are no longer forced to be accomplices in a genocide that is backed and funded by the United States government,” Listen to Michigan said in a statement.
The action is a result of Biden and his administration failing to call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire more than four months after Israel launched its military campaign in response to the Gaza following the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas. The conflict has resulted in the loss of more than 30,000 lives and the displacement of over 2 million people in Gaza.
Today, I’m joining 30+ of my elected colleagues from across SE Michigan in pledging to cast an “Uncommitted” vote in the upcoming presidential primary election. pic.twitter.com/ltmhihOF2A
— Abdullah H. Hammoud (@AHammoudMI) February 7, 2024
“Our government has failed to act in the best interests of the lives of innocent men, women, and children, and worse yet, have suggested that there is an exception to the rule when it comes to Palestinian lives,” Mayor Hammoud stated. “This matter has a direct impact on our Dearborn community, and more importantly, on each of us as human beings. We intend to make our voices heard in the presidential primary.”
Last weekend, the Wall Street Journal published a racist, Islamaphobic, and misinformed opinion piece calling Dearborn “America’s jihad capital.” Local officials say that the best way to support the people of Dearborn is to support a ceasefire.
This week, President Biden’s senior officials plan to meet with Arab and Muslim American communities in Michigan to discuss policy surrounding the conflict, reported The Detroit News. This was supposed to happen weeks ago, but many leaders, including Mayor Hammoud, refused to attend out of protest.
Many Muslim activists in metro Detroit have been pledging to “Abandon Biden” for months, but Listen to Michigan hopes the campaign pushes the president to shift policy. The coalition believes that Biden is not listening to what his voters want, and must earn the vote of Democrats through a dramatic change. And, according to recent surveys, most Detroit-area voters support a permanent ceasefire.
In the Michigan Democratic primary, there are five options: Joe Biden, Dean Phillips, Marianne Williamson, “Uncommitted,” and a blank line for write-ins. The Listen to Michigan campaign is urging voters to select “Uncommitted” in the election.
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Layla McMurtrie
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