Sanders-founded progressive group joins push for Biden protest vote in Michigan

Editor’s note: This report has been updated to note that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) founded Our Revolution.

Progressives in Michigan are pushing for a protest vote against President Biden in the state’s Democratic primary later this month. 

Our Revolution, a political organizing group founded by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), is getting behind a movement urging Michigan voters to pick an “uncommitted” option that will appear on their primary ballots.  

“We’re on a mission in Michigan to push the President to change course in Gaza,” Our Revolution said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, sharing a New York Times piece detailing the effort. 

The push comes amid frustration from progressives regarding the Biden administration’s actions concerning the Israel-Hamas war. Top Biden administration officials visited Michigan this month to engage in outreach with community leaders and ease tension with the state’s significant Arab American population. 

According to the Times, Our Revolution has planned an email blast to tens of thousands of members in Michigan along with phone and text banking and events on college campuses in the state to urge voters to choose “uncommitted” during the Feb. 27 contest. 

In Michigan, the “uncommitted” choice on presidential primary ballots “indicates the voter is exercising a vote for that political party but is not committed to any of the candidates listed on the ballot,” according to the secretary of state’s rules. 

If enough voters cast “uncommitted” votes, the party can send noncommitted delegates to the national convention. 

A “Listen to Michigan” campaign is urging voters to send Biden “a clear message in the February 27 Democratic primary that he can count us out.” 

“If we can demonstrate our political power and discontent through thousands of of ‘Uncommitted’ votes in the Michigan Democratic primaries, then Biden would feel more at risk of losing Michigan in the general election, prompting a potential reassessment of his financing and backing of Israel’s war in Gaza,” the campaign’s site reads. 

Though Biden is leading by a wide margin in the Democratic primary, he will face a potentially tough race in the Great Lakes State ahead of a possible rematch with former President Trump in the general election if he continues to see shaky support from within his own party. 

Last week, Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer stressed that “there’s a lot at stake” in the upcoming election.

“A potential second term for the former president would be very hard on all the communities that are still being impacted by what’s happening overseas as well and that’s something that shouldn’t be lost on people’s calculation, too,” Whitmer told the Detroit Free Press.

–Updated on Feb. 15 at 9:54 a.m.