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- Beto O’Rourke is backing the Michigan Democratic Party’s call for an “irresponsible” vote in the Feb. 27 primary.
- Mr. O’Rourke said in an interview that it “makes sense” to draw Mr. Biden’s attention to the ceasefire stance.
- Michigan will be a key battleground for both parties in November’s presidential election.
Former Texas congressman Beto O’Rourke supports encouraging voters dissatisfied with President Joe Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war to choose “non-commitment” in the upcoming Michigan Democratic presidential primary. ing.
In an interview with the Michigan Advance on Friday, the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate and 2022 Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate sought to pressure Biden to support a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. He said the initiative “makes sense” for some voters.
“People who want to see this administration do more or do a better job are putting political pressure on the president and his campaign to make America better.” I think it makes sense to get people’s attention,” O’Rourke told the news outlet.
Michigan’s Democratic presidential primary will be held on Tuesday, February 27th.
The “No Commitment” campaign has support from Michigan Democrats, including Rep. Rashida Tlaib, former Rep. Andy Levin, and Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud.
Hammoud has been harshly critical of Biden for not supporting a permanent ceasefire, writing in a recent New York Times op-ed that the president’s position “feels uniquely un-American” and a “betrayal.” Ta.
Referring to the Israeli prime minister, Hammoud said, “My biggest fear is that Biden will sacrifice democracy for Benjamin Netanyahu in 2024, not as the president who saved American democracy in 2020.” “I hope he will be remembered as the president who made the most of this.”
Mr O’Rourke told the Advance that Mr Hammoud’s opinion piece was “well written and well argued” and supported the call for a ceasefire.
“I agree with the aims and objectives. We should have a ceasefire… We should end this war and have a negotiated solution to a Palestinian state,” O’Rourke told the outlet. “I share the concern that the United States is not doing enough to make these things happen.”
Despite O’Rourke’s position, he told the Advance he still wants Biden to remain in the White House.
“I really want him to beat Donald Trump,” O’Rourke said of the president. “Whatever legitimate concerns people have about President Biden’s response to the war in Gaza, we know for a fact that things will get much worse under President Trump.”
Biden said earlier this month he had “extensive conversations” with Netanyahu, who called for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza.
This fall, Michigan is once again poised to be one of the nation’s most competitive swing states. With its mix of urban, suburban, and rural voters, and the significant influence of organized labor, the state has long been a political force on the national stage.
Trump won Michigan in the 2016 general election, but Biden flipped the state to the Democratic Party in 2020.
Dissatisfaction with Mr. Biden’s ceasefire stance threatens his support among Muslim and Arab American voters, who have a strong presence in Dearborn and some surrounding Detroit suburban communities. Those voters primarily supported incumbents in 2020.
But the Biden administration’s response to the war could cause some of those voters to stay home in November, potentially jeopardizing the president’s re-election bid in states that are expected to be close.
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