President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump easily won their respective primary contests on Tuesday night in Michigan, inching closer to an election rematch later this year.
While Biden’s win was a landslide, a sizable portion of voters chose to make a protest stance by voting “uncommitted” in response to the President’s handling of the war in Gaza.
The “uncommitted” vote was at 14%, with 33% of expected votes counted, including Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Minn.).
“President Biden is not hearing us,” Tlaib posted in a video to social media platform X.
Vice President Kamala Harris went to Grand Rapids last week to discuss abortion rights, an issue that Democratic strategists believe will be key in November’s election.
“The people of Michigan cannot sit back and take comfort without also understanding that elections matter and that there is a full-on, concerted effort to pass a national ban, which would mean the people of Michigan would not be safe,” Harris said.
Tuesday’s contest was a referendum on Biden’s support for Israel in its war with Hamas.
Meanwhile, for Trump, he continued his dominant run through this year’s presidential primaries, defeating former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley by 45 points.
“We have a very simple task — we have to win on Nov. 5,” Trump told supporters in a call following his win. “We win Michigan, we win the whole thing.”
“We want to send a signal, but we want to win Nov. 5,” he added. “Nov. 5, we’re going to get this guy out. We’re going to change our country. We’re going to bring our country back.”
Haley has lost every state so far and has shifted her focus to how she received nearly 40% of the vote in South Carolina and suggested her vote share indicated problems for Trump.
“Joe Biden is losing about 20% of the Democratic vote today, and many say it’s a sign of his weakness in November,” Haley spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas said. “Donald Trump is losing about 35% of the vote. That’s a flashing warning sign for Trump in November.”
