Uncommitted voters have been refusing to vote for Biden over his support for Israel’s war in Gaza.AOC says she’s voting for Biden this year — but also sees an “upside” to the uncommitted movement.”These are folks that could have easily given way to cynicism,” she said.
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is not an uncommitted voter herself — but she wants Democrats to recognize the “upside” of the movement.”These are folks that easily could have given way to cynicism,” the progressive New York Democrat said on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on Monday.Since February, the movement has turned out hundreds of thousands of voters to cast “uncommitted” ballots in Democratic primaries across the country in protest of President Joe Biden’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza, where over 33,000 Palestinians have been killed and tens of thousands more face dire humanitarian conditions. Organizers are demanding that Biden call for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza and end US military aid to Israel.
The campaign began in Michigan, home to a large number of Arab American and Muslim American voters, but the movement also includes a broader swath of young and progressive voters. In both Michigan and Wisconsin — two key swing states in 2024 — the number of uncommitted voters exceeded recent margins of victory in presidential elections.Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who represents the majority-Arab Michigan city of Dearborn, endorsed the movement and cast an uncommitted ballot herself. The campaign has been led by Layla Elabed, Tlaib’s younger sister.Other progressives like Ocasio-Cortez have taken a slightly different approach, praising the movement for raising the issue while continuing to support Biden personally.”The Democratic Party has always been a coalition party, and we have to bring everybody together every time because that’s what it means to be an American,” Ocasio-Cortez said on Monday.The congresswoman pointed out that the movement is unfolding during the primary process, and that it doesn’t necessarily mean those voters will be staying home in November.”Right now, these are folks who want to be seen,” said Ocasio-Cortez. “I think they’re using this process to be seen, and it’s best that we do that now than for folks to stay home in November.”In recent weeks, Biden has grown more critical of Israel but has yet to implement significant changes in US foreign policy toward the Jewish state. Democratic lawmakers, meanwhile, have increasingly grown willing to impose conditions or restrictions on aid to Israel.
