Biden wins Michigan primary but faces sizeable Gaza protest vote

Trump wins the state’s Republican presidential primary by a large margin

MICHIGAN - United States President Joe Biden easily won the Democratic presidential primary in Michigan on Feb 27, but a protest vote by Democrats angry over his support for Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza exceeded organisers' expectations.

Donald Trump won the state's Republican presidential primary by a large margin, strengthening his grip on the party's White House nomination as Mrs Nikki Haley, his last remaining rival, came in a distant second.

Although Mr Biden and Republican former president Trump had been expected to easily win their separate party primaries, the vote count for both was being closely watched for signs of wavering support.

In Michigan, home to a large Arab-American constituency, Democratic voters had been urged to mark their primary ballots as "uncommitted" on Feb 27 in protest at Mr Biden's Gaza policy.

With almost half of Democratic votes counted, the number of "uncommitted" voters was more than 58,000, according to Edison Research, far exceeding the target of 10,000 that protest organisers had hoped for.

Many in Michigan's Arab-American community who backed Mr Biden in 2020 are angry, as are some progressive Democrats, over his support for Israel's offensive in Hamas-ruled Gaza where tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed.

"Our movement emerged victorious tonight and massively surpassed our expectations. Tens of thousands of Michigan Democrats, many of whom voted for Biden in 2020, are uncommitted to his reelection due to the war in Gaza," said the Listen to Michigan campaign, which had urged people to vote "uncommitted".