‘Uncommitted’ group won’t endorse Harris as she swings through
Michigan
The group that arose out of efforts to register “uncommitted” in the
primary as means of protesting President Joe Biden’s policies in the
Israel-Hamas war won’t endorse the vice president — but urged against
voting third party or for Trump.
By MYAH WARD
09/19/2024 08:47 AM EDT
Updated: 09/19/2024 12:31 PM EDT
A national pro-Palestinian group announced that it isn’t endorsing Vice
President Kamala Harris as she makes another swing on Thursday through
battleground Michigan, where Muslim and Arab American community
leaders and voters continue to express concern with the U.S.’s handling of
the Israel-Hamas war.
But the Uncommitted National Movement, which arose out of organizing
efforts to get people to vote “uncommitted” in Democratic primaries
earlier this year in protest of President Joe Biden’s handling of the Israel-
Gaza war, also said in its lengthy statement that it opposes Donald Trump.
It said the former president’s “agenda includes plans to accelerate the
killing in Gaza while intensifying the suppression of anti-war organizing.”
And it urged against votes for any third-party candidates in November,
which leaders say would help a Trump victory in key swing states.
“We urge Uncommitted voters to register anti-Trump votes and vote up
and down the ballot. Our focus remains on building a broad anti-war
coalition both inside and outside the Democratic Party,” the group said in
a statement.
The group’s statement comes as Harris is set to campaign in the Detroit
metro area on Thursday, where she’ll participate in a campaign event with
Oprah Winfrey. The pro-Palestinian movement has remained persistent in
the state, owing to its large Arab American and college-age populations
that have heavily backed the cause, spurring concerns that it could do
damage come November.
The group, which launched in Michigan before expanding to other states,
said it made the decision to not back Harris after the vice president did
not respond to their request to meet with loved ones of Palestinian
American families who have lost loved ones in Gaza, and with the group’s
leaders to discuss an arms embargo on Israel. The group said it gave a
Sept. 15 deadline for Harris’ response.
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“Vice President Harris’s unwillingness to shift on unconditional weapons
policy or to even make a clear campaign statement in support of
upholding existing U.S. and international human rights law has made it
impossible for us to endorse her,“ the group said.
But the decision to oppose Trump speaks to the crossroads facing the
movement that arose amid the conflict in Gaza, a foreign policy issue that
quickly emerged as a major tension point between centrist Democrats and
progressives. Organizers remain deeply frustrated with Harris, who hasn’t
strayed from Biden’s Middle East policy, but even more, they fear what a
second Trump administration might mean for Palestinians in Gaza. On a
call with reporters on Thursday, the leaders said they are personally split
on how they will vote in November, with some saying they will skip the top
of the ballot, while others said they will vote for Harris.
Organizers said they made clear to the Harris campaign that an
endorsement from the national “uncommitted” group would’ve come with
the type of mobilization the state saw in February, when more than
100,000 people cast “uncommitted” votes against Biden in Michigan’s
primary election. But because of Harris’ unwillingness to show how she
might govern differently than Biden, they said they can’t ask community
members to support the vice president.
“Our movement has never been about, first and foremost, an
endorsement. It has always been about a policy change,” said
Uncommitted National Movement co-founder Layla Elabed, who is the
sister of Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib, noting that they’re not encouraging
voters to not cast their votes for Harris. “But we understand, that we
know for some voters, especially voters who are deeply impacted by our
U.S. policy decisions as the bombs are reigning down on people that we
love and care about, that asking them to make that choice right now is
impossible.”
Harris campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt said the vice president is
“committed to work to earn every vote, unite our country, and to be a
president for all Americans.”
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“She will continue working to bring the war in Gaza to an end in a way
where Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza
ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security,
freedom and self-determination,” she said.
The Harris campaign noted that the vice president has been endorsed by
a number of leaders in the Arab American and Muslim community,
including the Black Muslim Leadership Council, Muslims for Harris-Walz,
and state and local leaders including Assad Turfe, the Dearborn deputy
county executive, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Minnesota
Rep. Ilhan Omar, among others.
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The campaign also said that the uncommitted leaders were invited to
participate in a photo line with Harris and Walz ahead of her rally in
Detroit, and that campaign officials, including campaign manager Julie
Chavez Rodriguez met with Arab American and Jewish leaders in Michigan
last month. The campaign’s director and deputy director of Muslim and
Arab outreach have also held a number of meetings over the last month
with community leaders in Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, North Carolina,
Pennsylvania, Texas, Minnesota, Arizona and Nevada — with more
meetings in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Michigan scheduled over the next
two weeks.
“The Vice President is committed to work to earn every vote, unite our
country, and to be a President for all Americans. She will continue working
to bring the war in Gaza to an end in a way where Israel is secure, the
hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian
people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-
determination.”
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Community leaders were somewhat optimistic when Harris’ launched her
candidacy, pointing to her openness to hear the community’s concerns,
even as she refused to give into its demands. The vice president hasn’t
budged on policy, and on Tuesday, she repeated her stance that Israel has
the right to defend itself and the need for a two-state solution during an
interview with a panel of National Association of Black Journalists
members. She also expressed sympathy for both Israelis and Palestinians,
noting that too many innocent people in Gaza have been killed.
It’s an issue that speaks to the heart of the delicate challenge of running
for office as vice president. It’s become increasingly complicated as
ceasefire talks remain at an impasse, having been stalled since Hamas
killed six hostages on Aug. 31, forcing the U.S. to revisit the proposal it
laid out earlier this summer. Israel and Hamas have since added new
demands to the deal, with tensions rising following the hostages’ deaths.
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The group on Thursday remained critical of Harris, who they’ve repeatedly
asked to meet with to discuss Gaza policy, particularly their demand for a
weapons embargo on Israel. Tensions with the group were reignited at the
convention last month, when the group said that the DNC and Harris
campaign rejected its request to allow a Palestinian speaker to address
the audience on the main stage, something the group appeared to take
under consideration when issuing its endorsement decision.
“For months, we have urged Vice President Harris to shift her Gaza policy
so we could mobilize voters in key states to save lives and our democracy.
The DNC and the Vice President’s campaign fumbled even a small gesture
to unite our party ahead of November by rejecting the simple request for a
Palestinian American speaker,” the group said. Now, the Vice President’s
campaign is courting Dick Cheney while sidelining disillusioned anti-war
voices, pushing them to consider third-party options or to sit this
important election out.”
The Harris campaign said that the DNC provided space for a panel
discussion on Arab and Palestinian issues at the convention — which
included leaders from the “uncommitted” movement — while also
facilitating access to space in Chicago to host a vigil to honor victims of
the Oct. 7 attack. The uncommitted group’s leaders were also provided
credentials to attend the convention, as were their staff, the campaign
added. The convention also featured five Muslim speakers, and Harris
addressed Palestinian suffering during her speech.
“[W]hat has happened in Gaza over the past 10 months is devastating. So
many innocent lives lost. Desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, over
and over again. The scale of suffering is heartbreaking. President Biden
and I are working to end this war such that Israel is secure, the hostages
are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can
realize their right to dignity. Security. Freedom. And self-determination,”
Harris said during her DNC remarks.
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