The Uncommitted National Movement said Thursday that the group will not formally endorse Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign because it could affect her chances in the key state of Michigan.
In a lengthy statement, the leaders made it clear that they did not support former President Donald Trump and did not want supporters of the movement to vote for a third party.
‘[E]“Particularly since third-party votes in key swing states could inadvertently contribute to a Trump presidency given our country’s flawed electoral system,” the statement said.
But after Harris’ campaign missed a September 15 deadline to meet with Michigan Palestinians affected by the war in Gaza, Uncommitted leaders decided not to give the Democrat a pass at this time.
Leaders of the group said they have repeatedly tried to engage with the Harris-Walz campaign on certain policy demands, including an arms embargo to prevent Israel from bombing Gaza.
Vice President Kamala Harris (left) heads to Michigan on Thursday for her event with talk show host Oprah Winfrey. The Michigan-based group, the Uncommitted National Movement, said she would not get their support because of her Gaza policy
Members of the Uncommitted movement march at the Democratic National Convention. Leaders said Thursday they would not endorse Vice President Kamala Harris, but also encouraged followers not to vote third party, saying it could help former President Donald Trump
The group criticized her “unwillingness” to move away from an “unconditional arms policy” to arm Israel, saying this “made it impossible for us to support her.”
“For months, we have been calling on Vice President Harris to change her policy on Gaza so we could mobilize voters in key swing states to save lives and save our democracy,” the statement said.
“The DNC and the Vice President’s campaign squandered even a small gesture to unite our party for November by rejecting the simple request for a Palestinian-American speaker,” the report said.
At the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last month, Jonathan Polin and Rachel Goldberg were speakers.
They are the parents of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was recently murdered by the terrorist group Hamas.
Not a single Palestinian-American was chosen to speak at the conference, despite large pro-Palestinian demonstrations that took place outside the United Center.
“Now Vice President Dick Cheney’s campaign is courting disillusioned anti-war voices while urging them to consider third-party options or skip this critical election,” the statement said.
Vice President Kamala Harris (left) greets Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow (center) on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews as they travel to Michigan on Thursday. Michigan is where the Uncommitted Movement’s non-endorsement could have the biggest impact
The Uncommitted Movement began in Michigan, the state where it could do the most damage to Harris.
During the Democratic primaries, when President Joe Biden was still leading, more than 101,000 Democratic voters in Michigan opted for “undecided” over the incumbent president.
Michigan was one of three so-called “blue wall” states that Trump won in 2016, defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton, along with Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Eight years ago, Trump won the state by about 10,000 votes.
Four years later, Biden managed to regain the American high-five by about 150,000 votes.
The average of Real Clear Politics polls shows that the current race in Michigan is extremely close, with Harris leading Trump by just 1.7 percent.
The announcement of Uncommitted came on the same day that Harris traveled back to Michigan to host a livestreamed event with legendary talk show host Oprah Winfrey.