'Uncommitted' Democratic primary voters face question with Harris

Vice President Harris’s sudden emergence as the likely Democratic presidential nominee raises a new question: Will those who voted “uncommitted” in protest of President Biden’s Israel-Gaza policy during the primaries rally around her?

Thirty-six delegates representing 'uncommitted' voters in swing states were slated to cast ballots at next month’s Democratic National Convention after a movement to punish Biden during the primary season over his administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war.

Now observers are watching to see how the voters most critical of Biden respond to Harris, who could defuse some of the tension within the party, but will also face scrutiny about how she will address the conflict.

“Kamala Harris needs to somehow separate herself from Biden on Israel/Palestine, pledging to be more evenhanded, less Israel-right-or-wrong,” said Jeff Cohen, co-founder of RootsAction.org, who coordinated an effort urging Biden to resign called “Step Aside Joe.”

“If she does that, she could win not only votes but the activism of key groups that helped Biden-Harris win in 2020: young activists, racial justice organizers, Arab and Muslim activists and leaders.”

“The ball is in her court,” Cohen said.

Biden’s handling of Israel’s war in Gaza has badly divided the Democratic Party, and weakened him politically.

It contributed to the president’s stumbles with both Black voters and young voters, and it was the most contentious point in his relationship with his party’s progressive wing.

Some progressives only reluctantly backed Biden given what they see as an existential threat in the prospect of a second term for former President Trump. Others simply withheld support from the 81-year-old incumbent after he failed to call for a total cease-fire in the region.

“We are on the verge of getting that,” Biden said this week.

Biden’s exit from the race has left these progressives watching Harris closely to see how she distinguishes herself from Biden on the issue.

“Vice President Harris can start the process to earn back trust by turning the page from Biden’s horrific policies in Gaza,” said Layla Elabed, who is working as an 'uncommitted' national movement leader, in a statement following Biden’s decision to stop running and back Harris. 

“For months, we’ve warned that Biden's support for Israel's assault on Gaza would hurt his electability. Now, it's crucial for Vice President Harris to take a clear stance against weapons for Israel’s war and occupation against Palestinians,” Elabed said.

Elabed, like other anti-war voices, has been particularly critical of Biden for continuing to send weapons to the Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who addressed a joint session of Congress on Wednesday.

“By funding a government committing human rights abuses, we undermine our party’s stance against far-right extremism and contradict our commitment to democracy and justice,” she said. 

As Democrats coalesce around Harris as the likely nominee, some progressives and anti-war activists say they are much more optimistic about the vice president’s willingness to take a different stance.

“I have been encouraged to see the reports in the media suggesting that Vice President Harris does not agree 100 percent with the current approach,” Abbas Alawieh, an 'uncommitted' Democratic National Committee delegate from Michigan, told The Hill. “I’m eager to hear her articulate a policy that is more humane, that recognizes the humanity of Palestinians.”

“At this point, I am an uncommitted delegate, I remain an uncommitted delegate, but I think Vice President Harris has an opportunity to unite the party around a foreign policy as it relates to Palestine and Israel that is more in line with where the Democratic base is,” Alawieh said.

Alawieh, who serves as director of the 'uncommitted' national movement, said that he wants to see more separation between Harris and Netanyahu. Progressives, Arab Americans and other key Democratic constituencies overwhelmingly see Netanyahu as a war criminal who has perpetuated crimes against Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

“We’d like for her to distance herself publicly from Benjamin Netanyahu specifically,” he said. “The vice president has a great team around her, folks who we know offer a variety of perspectives on the issue. We just hope that she’ll engage us directly. That direct engagement we thought was lacking under President Biden’s candidacy.”

Michigan is a major pickup opportunity for Democrats as they look to recalibrate their electoral map with Harris at the top of the ticket. Biden has struggled for months in polls in the state, losing support with the vast Arab American and Muslim population. During the primary, 101,000 Michigan voters cast ballots for “uncommitted” in the Democratic primary.

“There are voters for whom Gaza will remain their top issue. We cannot afford for the Democratic candidate to miss the opportunity to reengage those voters,” Alawieh said. “We just need Vice President Harris to embrace a foreign approach that isn’t hell-bent on killing our families.”

Progressives inside Congress are urging Harris to take their concerns more seriously than her boss. They’ve warned that young voters and a variety of voters of color could still stay home if she does not get the policy and messaging right when it comes to Palestinians and Israel.

While most involved with the effort are outwardly optimistic, some are still uncertain that the movement is robust enough to put pressure on Harris in a way that leads to an actual change of strategy just a few months before Election Day. They argue the fact that those protesting Biden’s policies voted “uncommitted” rather than backing a specific candidate is a weakness.

“This is why voting ‘uncommitted’ as opposed to a candidate already in the race was not the wisest strategy,” said one public-facing progressive who has been critical of Biden’s Israel policy. “Party leaders will probably direct them to whoever they want because there is no one in charge of ‘uncommitted,’” the source said. 

Others are taking a wait-and-see approach.

“We’re concerned but we’re back to square one if she says to us that she cannot do anything but continue with that policy, as she’s been indicating in the past few years in some of the language that she’s said,” said Hassan Abdel Salam, who co-founded the “Abandon Biden” counter campaign.

“We have deliberately stated that we are in a holding position. We want her to have an opportunity to clarify her policy,” he said. 

Alex Gangitano contributed reporting.