Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer said on Sunday that President Joe Biden faces some uncertainty in her state's upcoming primary, while stressing to voters that the alternative, a second Trump administration, would "be devastating."
Biden is currently seeking reelection to a second term in the White House in the 2024 presidential race. So far, he has easily won every Democratic primary race, despite challenges for the party's nomination from the likes of author Marianne Williamson and Representative Dean Phillips, a Minnesota Democrat.
Despite mounting concerns in the press about Biden's struggling approval ratings and advanced age, he has won each race with a notably high percentage of the vote, even by the standards of incumbent presidents. Nevertheless, concerns among observers have persisted heading into the Michigan primary on Tuesday. Some have suggested that Biden faces his toughest challenge yet thanks to dissatisfaction amongst the state's significant Muslim population over his continued support of Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza.
The conflict has seen the Israeli military launch its largest-ever airstrike campaign in retaliation for the October 7, 2023, surprise attack by the militant group that killed around 1,200 people. The strikes have killed over 29,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, and have prompted international calls for a ceasefire.
Leading up to the race, some notable Democrats, including Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, who is the only Palestinian-American member of Congress, have urged voters to select "uncommitted" on their ballot instead of Biden to send a message about their disapproval of his policies concerning Israel. Elsewhere, one-time presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke of Texas said in a Friday interview with Michigan Advance that he agrees "with the aims and the goals" of the campaign and shares a "concern that the United States is not doing close to enough to bring those things," like a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Hamas's Israeli hostages, "to pass." O'Rourke ultimately stressed, however, his plan to support President Biden in the general election.
"I support the president; I want him very badly to beat Donald Trump," he said.
On Sunday, Whitmer, who has been campaigning for Biden in the state, conceded that the president does have uncertainty in the Great Lake State during an appearance on CNN's State of the Union.
"I'm not sure what we're going to see on Tuesday, to tell you the truth," Whitmer said. "I know that we've got this primary and we will see differences of opinion. I'm just not sure what to expect."
Newsweek reached out to the Biden campaign via email on Sunday afternoon for comment. Any responses received will be added to this story in a later update.
Despite conceding those concerns about discontent with Biden, Whitmer also stressed to voters on Sunday that abandoning the president would directly help reelect his most likely general election opponent, former President Donald Trump. A second Trump term, she said, would be worse for the country's Muslim population and Muslim people abroad, citing Trump's past policies like the travel ban from predominantly Muslim populations.
"I just want to make the case, though, that it's important not to lose sight of the fact that any vote that's not cast for Joe Biden supports a second Trump term," Whitmer said. "A second Trump term would be devastating, not just on fundamental rights, not just on our democracy here at home, but also when it comes to foreign policy."
The governor added: "This was a man who promoted a Muslim ban. This is, I think, a very high-stakes moment, I am urging people to cast an affirmative vote for President Biden. I understand the pain that people are feeling, and I'll continue to work to build bridges with folks in all of these communities."
Correction: 2/26/24, 11:26 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to clarify O'Rourke did not urge voters in Michigan to pick uncommitted over Joe Biden.
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Thomas Kika is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in upstate New York. His focus is reporting on crime and national ... Read more
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