A third-party group is urging Democratic voters to leave the ballot blank during the Empire State’s primary in protest of President Joe Biden.
The New York Working Families Party announced Friday afternoon that it is “encouraging Democratic voters to #LeaveItBlank to pressure President Biden to use his full leverage to end the war on Gaza” ahead of the Monday primary in New York.
ELECTION 2024: FOLLOW LATEST COVERAGE
This latest move is part of a campaign against the president, whom left-leaning members of the Democratic Party have lambasted over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war in the Middle East.
The “Abandon Biden” movement gained traction during Michigan’s primary last month, where more than 101,000 people cast an “uncommitted” ballot. The movement then spread to some Super Tuesday states and beyond.
During the March 19 primary, Biden lost 15% of the vote in Kansas to “None of the Names Shown” (10%), author Marianne Williamson (3.4%), and Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) (1.2%).
The Working Families Party’s “Leave It Blank” campaign is the latest instance of the protest vote Biden is facing ahead of his November rematch against former President Donald Trump.
The group is urging Biden to “correct course” after accusing Israeli leaders of killing and starving Palestinian families living in the Gaza Strip.
“Since Hamas’s attack on Oct. 7 took the lives of more than 1,200 Israelis, Netanyahu’s army has killed 30,000 Palestinians, including over 13,000 children,” the Working Families Party wrote on X on Friday afternoon. “Currently, one million people in Gaza are facing starvation because Netanyahu is preventing the flow of humanitarian aid.”
The war has created tensions among the Democratic coalition that Biden desperately needs to win reelection. Arab, Muslim, and young voters have particularly been incensed by Biden’s hesitation to support a permanent ceasefire during the Israel-Hamas war.
Protesters have repeatedly interrupted Democratic leaders on the campaign trail, with the latest instance happening at a star-studded fundraiser Biden held in New York on Thursday with former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.
Ceasefire protesters have also interrupted GOP campaign events, including a Trump rally.
Yet the issue is more salient on the Democratic side, which includes the sole Palestinian American member of Congress, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI).
The Michigan Democrat did not vote for Biden during her state’s primary and urged Democrats to vote for the “uncommitted” option.
“Leaving your ballot blank is how you can lean into your democratic power and pressure President Biden to correct course,” the Working Families Party urged on X.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Biden, however, is expected to win the heavily blue Empire State after clinching the Democratic presidential nomination earlier this month.
But the protest votes pose a serious issue his campaign will need to address in an election year where every vote is important and third-party meddling could cost either Trump or Biden their reelection bids.
