President Biden's re-election campaign hit a snag as it was revealed thousands have abandoned the President over his Israel stance.
Top Democratic officials vowed to double down on efforts to win back former supporters after being hit by a much stronger-than-anticipated protest vote in the Michigan primary.
About 13.2 per cent of Michigan Democrats cast a ballot for "uncommitted" in the nominating contest, following a weeks-long push by activists.
With about 85 per cent of all votes counted, the uncommitted vote was already over 101,000 votes, far higher than expected.
Biden has been hit with a higher "uncommitted" protest vote than expected
Reuters
Biden's staunch support for Israel during its five-month war with Hamas, which has decimated Gaza, has sparked outrage and a backlash among progressive Democrats and Arab Americans, with Michigan as their epicentre.
They asked Biden to push for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, condition aid to Israel and for sympathetic Democrats to vote "uncommitted" in the primary to signal that Biden could lose their support in November's general election, aiming for 10,000 votes, a low figure historically.
Michigan is seen as a key state for likely candidate Donald Trump, with Biden taking the state by a less than three per cent margin in 2020. Some polls show likely Republican candidate Donald Trump ahead in a head-to-head matchup this time.
A senior Biden campaign official said the team will "make our case in the state - to both uncommitted voters and the entire Michigan constituency. The president will continue to work for peace in the Middle East."
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The vote is seen as a protest against the President's stance on Israel
Reuters
Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II said: "We are not afraid of people participating in democracy. We are not afraid of voters. We are not afraid of people who are ready to speak out in good faith, in good conscience because they have good intentions."
Biden's Michigan campaign manager Mike Frosolone said: "We know when voters see President Biden and Donald Trump's record side by side, they're going to choose President Biden."
President Biden has been criticised by some of his Democrat colleagues for his stance on Israel. Earlier this week, he said that he was committed to a ceasefire in the region "by the end of the weekend."
According to Israeli tallies, Hamas fighters killed 1,200 people and captured 253 hostages as part of the October 7 attacks. Health authorities in Gaza say nearly 30,000 people have been confirmed killed with hundreds of thousands injured.
Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II
Getty
Biden, 81, faces low general approval ratings and concern about his age, as does Trump, 77.
Trump was formally ordered to pay about $450 million for fraudulently manipulating his net worth by a New York judge this month and faces four unrelated criminal prosecutions, in which he has pleaded not guilty.
A Reuters/IPSOS poll published earlier this week found "extremism" is the top worry for American voters going into the 2024 election, besting the economy or immigration, and that most judge Biden better equipped to deal with the issue.