"Uncommitted" voters could back Harris if Israel-Gaza stance shifts: delegates
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Pro-Palestinian Democrats were the only Michigan delegates who voted against endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris this week, but they say they'd be willing to reconsider if Harris shifts the administration's Gaza policies.
State of play: One of the two "no" votes, Abbas Alawieh, told Axios the national uncommitted movement has been trying to schedule a meeting with the vice president to discuss how to win back support of anti-war Democratic voters.
- If Harris meaningfully engages with demands of a ceasefire that also achieves the release of all hostages, "Our uncommitted national movement will do everything in our power to mobilize the 730,000 people who voted uncommitted to vote for Vice President Harris," he tells Axios.
- "We do not make this offer lightly. We make it sincerely, knowing how dangerous Donald Trump is."
Between the lines: Harris' public statements on the Israel-Hamas war haven't differed from those of President Biden, but she doesn't own Biden's career-long pro-Israel stance.
- Biden is known as one of the most pro-Israel members of Congress in history.
Friction point: The uncommitted delegates' persistence has caused intraparty strife for Michigan Democrats. Alawieh says he was told to "shut up, a--hole" by another Democratic Party delegate while advocating for a more humane Gaza policy during the virtual vote Tuesday.
- "To have Democratic elected officials in the state on the call and not a single one speak up and say, 'Hey, Abbas is one of us, or 'Uncommitted voters matter to us.' It was a slap in the face," Alawieh tells Axios.
- "The disrespect shown to a member of our delegation tonight was disappointing and unacceptable," chair Lavora Barnes wrote in an email following the meeting.
Zoom out: The coalition of pro-Palestinian advocacy groups that had planned to protest the Democratic National Convention in Chicago over the Israel-Hamas war tells Axios Chicago those plans haven't changed with a new presumptive nominee.
The latest: Harris missed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to Congress on Wednesday because of a prior commitment in Indiana, but she will meet with him privately later this week.
The bottom line: Removing Biden from the ticket could be a real opportunity to reenergize thousands of Democratic voters who feel betrayed by his approach in Gaza, Alawieh says.
- "I'm hoping that the vice president and her team use this as an opportunity to articulate a Gaza policy that is different."