Leaders of the 'Uncommitted' movement, a Democratic protest vote movement against the Israel-Hamas war, announced on Thursday that they would not be endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidential bid. However, they strongly urged their supporters to vote against Donald Trump in the upcoming November election.
The movement gained significant traction during the Democratic primaries earlier this year, drawing hundreds of thousands of votes in protest of President Joe Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Despite ongoing discussions with top Democratic officials, discontent within the movement escalated after the Democratic National Convention, where their demands were not met.
In a statement, the movement leaders expressed their dissatisfaction with Harris' stance on unconditional weapons policy and her failure to make a clear campaign statement supporting existing U.S. and international human rights laws, leading to their decision not to endorse her.
While emphasizing their opposition to voting for Trump or a third-party candidate, the leaders urged supporters to cast 'anti-Trump votes' and participate in the upcoming election at all levels.
The movement's primary focus is on anti-war organizing power, with leaders warning that such efforts would be severely undermined by a Trump administration.
Following the DNC's refusal to include a Palestinian American speaker, the group requested Harris' campaign to respond to their demands by September 15, including a meeting with Palestinian American families in Michigan and discussions on halting arms sales to Israel and securing a permanent ceasefire. The group claims that these demands were not addressed.
The movement originated in Michigan, where over 100,000 voters marked 'Uncommitted' in the state's Democratic primary. Michigan, home to a significant Arab American population, holds importance as a crucial battleground state in the presidential election.
Both presidential nominees have been actively engaging with leaders in metro Detroit's Arab American community. Harris recently met with the mayor of Dearborn, the largest Arab American community in the nation, while Trump sought the endorsement of the mayor of Hamtramck, a majority-Muslim city in metro Detroit.
