Will Michigan voters who want a ceasefire in Gaza cost Biden the primary election?

Instead of casting a vote for President Joe Biden in Michigan’s presidential primary this Tuesday, organizers of the national “Abandon Biden” campaign are asking those against the Israel-Hamas war to vote “uncommitted,” write in “free Palestine” or “ceasefire now.”

Ronald Stockton is a political science professor emeritus of the University of Michigan – Dearborn, who taught classes on western politics and the Israeli Palestinian conflict and religion politics. He says it’s not unusual that people get turned off by their party’s choice.

“Everybody’s got a preferred candidate that they would rather have… your choice is not between good and bad. It’s between bad and god awful, and you vote for bad to avoid a catastrophe,” Stockton said.

This election could be different, however, as the U.S.’s role in the ongoing war in Gaza has become a point of contention for many American voters.

“This regional war has had a global impact. And the Palestinians have somehow become symbols of injustice and mass murder,” he said.

This especially hits home for Arab Americans and people from Islamic heritage  — some of whom have family members in the region, Stockton says. But it’s not just Arab Americans who are unhappy with Biden’s presidency.

“It’s a generational pattern. Those people who are younger than 30, only a third of them support Biden’s policies,” he said. “But of those an older age range. It’s two thirds. And this is a generational gap that we have not seen before, in public opinion studies.”

Stockton says Biden would have to change his policies to gain voters.

“I don’t know if he’s going to call for a ceasefire or what, but about, I think at this point, he’s lost a lot of people who are not going to come back home,” he said.

Listen to Michigan is another anti-war, multifaith, multigenerational campaign calling on voters to vote “uncommitted” in the primaries on Tuesday.

Stockton says Michigan has a plurality voting system, meaning the top candidate who has the most votes wins. He says unless the electoral system is changed, a third party candidate would be unlikely to win.

Read more:

• Michigan Presidential Primary 2024: What you need to know
• Arab American leaders urge people to vote in primaries, even if they are upset
• Arab American leaders refuse to meet with Biden campaign during Michigan visit