Ashley Etienne, Vice President Kamala Harris' former aide, told CNN's Jim Acosta on Wednesday that Democrats have "some major concern" with President Joe Biden after nearly 14 percent of Michiganders voted "uncommitted" in the state's primary.
The Context
Biden won Michigan's Democratic primary on Tuesday with 81.1 percent of the vote. But 13.3 percent of voters decided to cast an "uncommitted" ballot in protest of Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
Israel has been carrying out a military operation in neighboring Gaza for several months, following a deadly surprise attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7. On that day, 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 250 were taken hostage by Hamas. Meanwhile, The Associated Press reports that over 29,700 Palestinians have been killed as of Tuesday, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, as Israeli forces continue to launch attacks on the region.
Biden has promoted a peaceful two-state solution in the Middle East and has advocated for a second temporary ceasefire in Gaza. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on CBS' Face the Nation on Sunday that there will be no peace until Hamas is destroyed.
"I've set three war goals. The first is to release the hostages. The second is to destroy Hamas. And the third is to ensure that Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel in the future," Netanyahu told host Margaret Brennan, "They're achieved, basically by our very effective and often heroic military operation. And also by tough negotiations, we're combining the two and I hope it yields a result, but understand that unless we have total victory, we can't have peace. We can't leave Hamas in place."
What We Know
Etienne, who served as Harris' communications director in the first year of the Joe Biden administration, said on CNN Newsroom with Jim Acosta, "I do think that there's some major concern for the president here.
"One is that the protesters saying that they are going to continue to take their protest to other states as well as all the way to the convention. That's a problem. Secondly, Joe Biden is not in control of the situation. He has very little leverage. His interest and [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's interest are actually in conflict right now."
"Netanyahu doesn't want this war to end, right? He's got way too much at stake for this to end. So, I think the problem for Joe Biden is that he has very little leverage in this and he's gonna to continue to get pressure. But here's the thing. There's a lot of time. Time is on Biden's side. There's eight months left, and it seems like Netanyahu's position is not sustainable for eight months."
Appearing on CNN Tuesday night, Mitch Landrieu, a former Biden administration senior adviser and current national co-chair for the president's reelection campaign, said: "Joe Biden had a really, really strong night tonight. You can't cut it any other way than that." However, Landrieu added: "That is not to say that the uncommitted vote wasn't substantial."
Newsweek reached out to Biden's campaign and Netanyahu's office via email for comment.
Views
Earlier this month, Representative Rashida Tlaib, a Michigan progressive Democrat and the only Palestinian-American in Congress, called on Michiganders to withhold their support for Biden in the state primary.
Standing outside the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn, Michigan, Tlaib told voters in a video that it is important "to create a voting block, something that is a bullhorn to say enough is enough. We don't want a country that supports wars and bombs and destruction. We wanna support life. We wanna stand up for every single life killed in Gaza."
She added: "This is the way you can raise our voices. Don't make us even more invisible. Right now, we feel completely neglected and just unseen by our government. If you want us to be louder, than come here and vote uncommitted."
Tlaib, and other progressives in Congress, have stood with pro-Palestinian groups, which include Arab and Muslim communities across the country, in support of a permanent ceasefire in Gaza as the region has become a hotspot for humanitarian crisis.
Before Etienne gave her analyst of the situation, former Republican Illinois Congressman Joe Walsh told Acosta: "I think we're making too big of an issue about it. It's something Biden should pay attention to but you laid the historical context. But, Jim, this is an opportunity for Biden. Ever since October 7, Joe Biden is pro-Israel, he needs to remain pro-Israel, but he needs to engage his left flank because they're not where he is on this issue. He oughta engage them though."
Barack Obama received "uncommitted" votes in Michigan and several other states in the 2012 primaries during his reelection campaign. In Michigan, 11 percent voted "uncommitted" for Obama, while 21 percent of North Carolinians voted "uncommitted" and 42 percent of Kentucky voters decided to vote "uncommitted."
What's Next?
When asked on Monday when a temporary ceasefire in Gaza could start, Biden said: "I hope by the end of the weekend ... My national security adviser tells me that we're close—we're close—we're not done yet. My hope is by next Monday we'll have a ceasefire."
In late November, Israel and Hamas agreed to a temporary ceasefire that resulted in the release of about 100 hostages in Gaza, in exchange for about 240 Palestinian prisoners in Israel. AP reports that approximately 130 hostages remain in Gaza, but about a quarter of them are dead, according to Israel.
Update 2/28/24, 11:29 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Update 2/28/24, 12:02 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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