Democrats ignored the uncommitted movement for Gaza in 2024. Now, it’s winning elections
By linking progressive politics with nominally Arab American issues, organizers are building winning coalitions Abbas Alawieh initially thought the uncommitted movement of 2024 had failed. The insurgent group, which he helped co-found, had gotten more than 700,000 Democrats to vote “uncommitted” on their 2024 presidential primary ballots to pressure the US government to call for a ceasefire in…
In 2024, the uncommitted movement of Democrats, which had previously urged them to vote "uncommitted" in order to pressure the US government to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, began to shift its approach. Initially, the movement, co-founded by Abbas Alawieh, aimed to add an embargo on arms to Israel in the Democratic party's platform and secure a Palestinian American speaker for the Democratic national convention.
However, when these demands were not met, Alawieh and others decided to take power away from misusing leaders. This shift in strategy was observed in multiple Democratic primaries across the country, including the notable victory of progressive Abdul El-Sayed, who won the Democratic nomination for Michigan's open US Senate seat.
By linking Arab American concerns, such as the war in Gaza, to progressive politics, campaigns have been able to build winning coalitions. The Arab American community's growth, which reached 4% of the state's electorate in Michigan, played a significant role in these victories. Despite the Democratic party's failure to engage with Arab American voters on the issue of Gaza, third-party candidates and Republicans capitalized on this opportunity, resulting in a significant shift in voter preferences.
The uncommitted movement's strategy of linking Arab American issues to broader progressive politics has proven to be successful, turning the genocide in Gaza into a politically entwined issue with broader progressive movement priorities.
Written by urgent.news from The Guardian US's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
