Joe Biden Wins Michigan Primary Despite Sizeable Gaza Protest Vote
President Joe Biden is projected to win Michigan’s Democratic presidential primary comfortably, despite a significant protest vote over strong US support for Israel in the war in Gaza.
Mr Biden won 80% of the vote, according to projections, but the “uncommitted” exceeded expectations with 13%.
Biden’s campaign will pay close attention to see if that result in the key swing state will spread nationwide.
Many voters have been angered by the US stance in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The US is a close ally of Israel, providing it with billions of dollars in military aid.
Earlier this month the US vetoed a UN resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, while proposing a draft of its own, urging a temporary ceasefire.
Many people, including in Biden’s own party, want the president to take a much stronger stance against Israel’s military campaign.
On the eve of the Michigan vote, Biden said he hoped there would be a pause in fighting in Gaza by Monday – a statement that was not echoed by either Israel or Hamas.
Trump is also projected to easily win Tuesday’s Republican primary in the state, after what he called a “great day”.
Results so far from the primary contests – which the US political parties use to select their presidential candidate – indicate that the two men are on course to face off in November’s general election, in a rematch of 2020.
Michigan is considered a critical swing state, which picked the winning president in the last two contests. It has the largest proportion of Arab-Americans in the country, but Mr Biden’s support for Israel appears to have cost him support among that demographic.
Activists from the group Listen to Michigan hailed the size of the “uncommitted” vote – more than 100,000 – as a victory. People were in tears at the organisation’s watch party as tallies were periodically updated.
Congressman Andy Levin, who supports the “uncommitted” vote, told the crowd: “I take no joy in being here tonight. This moment is a child of necessity because people are dying by the thousands.”
The war in Gaza began after Hamas’s attack in southern Israel on 7 October, in which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage.
Israel has launched a massive military operation in the Palestinian territory since then, with the stated aim of eliminating Hamas.
However, 29.974 people have been killed and 70,325 injured in the retaliatory campaign – most of them civilians, the Hamas-run health ministry in the Gaza Strip says.
The huge toll has led to international pressure on Israel and calls for a ceasefire.
