'Uncommitted' trounces Biden in Dearborn presidential primary
A majority of Democratic presidential primary voters in Dearborn — home to large Arab American and Muslim communities — chose "uncommitted" over President Joe Biden, according to unofficial results from the city. The defeat for Biden in city he won in the 2020 presidential election against former President Donald Trump comes after cease-fire activists called for using the ballot box to protest Biden's support for Israel amid its war with Hamas that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.
The "uncommitted" vote in Dearborn won 57% support while Biden received 40%, according to the unofficial tally of every precinct in Dearborn posted on the city clerk's website. It marks a nearly 17-point loss for Biden in the city's primary. In total, 11,340 Dearborn voters participated in the Democratic presidential primary with 4,526 voting for Biden and 6,432 selecting "uncommitted."
Biden also suffered electoral blows in other cities with significant Arab American and Muslim communities. Biden also lost to "uncommitted" in Hamtramck where 828 "uncommitted" votes accounted for 61% of the total vote share in the city's Democratic presidential primary, according to unofficial results. In Dearborn Heights, a plurality but not a majority of voters picked "uncommitted" over Biden, according to the unofficial tally.
Biden won the Democratic primary vote statewide with about 13% of voters choosing "uncommitted" with most votes reported, according to results compiled by the Associated Press.
The Listen to Michigan campaign to pressure Biden to demand a permanent cease-fire celebrated the showing for its "uncommitted" campaign during an election night gathering for supporters Tuesday in Dearborn.
Some Dearborn voters who spoke to the Free Press Tuesday said that even though they voted for Biden in 2020, they don't know how they would vote in November in a Biden rematch against former President Donald Trump if the president doesn't change course on the war.
U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, who represents Dearborn in Congress endorsed Listen to Michigan's "uncommitted" campaign led by her sister, in a robocall to Michigan residents after in-person voting began Tuesday pitched the vote as a way to urge Biden to "win back the trust of the voting coalition" that elected him four years ago, according to a recording of the call shared by Our Revolution, the progressive political group Tlaib teamed up with for the final push.
But another prominent Michigan Democrat has argued that the "uncommitted" campaign will hurt Biden. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer — a key Biden alley in the battleground state — has expressed concerns that "uncommitted" votes in the primary would bolster Trump's reelection campaign.
Organizers behind the "uncommitted" campaign have consistently emphasized support for their effort extends beyond Arab American and Muslim voters in Michigan.
Staff writer Kristi Tanner contributed to this report.
Contact Clara Hendrickson at [email protected] or 313-296-5743. Follow her on X, previously called Twitter, @clarajanehen.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 'Uncommitted' vote defeats Biden in Dearborn
