President Joe Biden easily won Michigan’s Democratic primary Tuesday, NBC News projects, in a contest whose only real drama came from a grassroots effort to cast protest votes over his handling of the war in Gaza.
A Biden victory over his rival, Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., was never in doubt. The only question was the extent to which a loose-knit movement displeased with his failure to rein in the Israeli military would cut into his margin by voting “uncommitted.”
The share of “uncommitted” vote Tuesday stood at 14%, with 33% of expected votes counted. For comparison purposes, when Barack Obama ran for re-election in 2012, the uncommitted vote in Michigan’s Democratic primary was 11%.
Among those voting "uncommitted" was Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., who is Palestinian American.
"President Biden is not hearing us," Tlaib said in a video posted on X.
With Phillips failing to gain any momentum in his long-shot bid, Biden’s attention is firmly directed at the general election and a looming rematch with his 2020 opponent, former President Donald Trump, who NBC News projected has won the Michigan GOP primary. A Biden campaign aide, speaking in the days before Michigan's contest, described the race as uncompetitive.
“We’re really focused on the general election,” the aide said, speaking on condition of anonymity to talk freely.
As for the "vote uncommitted" movement, the aide added: "This primary is uncompetitive, so people will use this time to speak their minds."
High-profile surrogates visited Michigan on Biden’s behalf before the primary, speaking to union, minority and suburban voters whose support is crucial in a state Biden must win in November. Looking to mobilize voters, they touted Biden's record and warned of the consequences of a Trump sequel.