Uncommitted voters take on added influence amid swirl over Biden future

After Joe Biden’s poor debate performance and calls by some prominent Democrats to replace him, the hundreds of thousands of anti-war voters and the delegates who represent them have taken on new significance in the US presidential race.

More than 700,000 voters cast ballots in the Democratic primaries for “uncommitted” options after a movement started in Michigan to pressure Biden to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and stop US funding and arms to the Israeli government.

These voters won 29 uncommitted delegates to the Democratic national convention, a small but vocal group that will use their position at the nominating convention to call for an end to the war. The uncommitted vote consists of likely Democratic voters who have consistently said they are anti-Trump and who used the primary process to send a message to Biden.

Their message has not changed, though uncommitted delegates said they have been hearing from more people about the role they could play in the convention since last week’s debate. Their sole platform remains a permanent ceasefire and an arms embargo, and their focus is still on Biden – who is still the president.

“People are like, you guys have 10 times the power you did before,” said Asma Mohammed, an uncommitted delegate to the DNC from Minnesota and one of the organizers behind the uncommitted push there.

“The way I was looking at it is, we always have had power. Our story has consistently been powerful, and we have over 700,000 voters that we have been engaged with, who were previously just not going to show up or didn’t know how to engage in this election.”

The uncommitted movement spread quickly across some states, gaining steam from voters who wanted to make their disapproval of the US’ involvement in the war known and who were otherwise not ready to commit to Biden, though they do not support Trump and do not want to see him win. After Michigan, it saw strong showings in Minnesota, Hawaii and Washington.

Throughout the campaign, uncommitted’s leaders have consistently said they would back Biden if he got on board with their anti-war demands - and they have reiterated this offer now, at a time when Biden needs all the support he can get.

“We’re not hinging our advocacy on whether or not President Biden decides to remain the candidate,” said Abbas Alawieh, a spokesperson for Uncommitted National Movement and an uncommitted delegate to the DNC from Michigan. “Regardless of whether or not he decides to remain the candidate, he remains the president through January 2025, and we need him to stop supplying weapons long before that.”

Since the movement began, Biden has called for a ceasefire in Gaza. But, Alawieh said: “If the president is serious about delivering a ceasefire, he needs to stop supplying the weapons that are preventing a ceasefire.”

The uncommitted movement has heard from delegates committed to Biden from around the country who sympathize with the anti-war platform, and the uncommitted delegates hope to work with them at the DNC to show the president – or any other potential nominee that the party’s base does not support US funding of the war, Alawieh said.

The Uncommitted National Movement is open to the idea of an open convention if that becomes a viable option, but it is not aligning behind any particular candidate, and any candidate seeking its support would need to agree with an arms embargo.

They have offered to Biden, via contacts on his campaign, at the DNC and at the White House, that they will mobilize voters for him if he delivers an arms embargo. It would be “an opportunity for us to unite in both saving lives now and in preventing Donald Trump from getting into the White House again”, Alawieh said.

They haven’t heard back from Biden’s camp yet, but are hoping to.

Mohammed said she and other Democrats fear they will lose voters in November, that people are just not going to show up. Biden can become the candidate the uncommitted voters want by using his power to push for an end to the war, which could change his prospects.

A new candidate brings different challenges, like name recognition. There’s no easy path forward. Mohammed believes Biden will remain the nominee, making the case for continuing to pressure him on the war stronger. And she thinks he can still win if he brings in uncommitted voters.

“I think we still need to push him to be better. Because right now, half the nation is disappointed.”