Young Democrats in Michigan are threatening to withhold their vote for President Joe Biden because of his pro-Israel stance, according to The Washington Post (WaPo).
Following Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel, Biden and his administration immediately voiced their support for the country. Biden’s support of Israel, and refusal to call for a ceasefire, has some young Democrats at the University of Michigan reconsidering voting for the president in the 2024 election, according to WaPo. (RELATED: Americans Are Breaking With Biden’s Handling Of Israel-Hamas War: POLL)
“I just can’t see how I can ever muster up the courage a year from now to walk to a ballot box and vote for this person that has directly been responsible for so much harm,” Joseph Fisher, a student at the University of Michigan, told the outlet.
Less than a year out from the 2024 presidential election, some Democratic students are considering voting for a third-party candidate over Biden, even if the consequence is that it benefits former President Donald Trump, WaPo reported. A student who supported Biden in the 2020 election told the outlet while she has other priorities, such as abortion access, Biden’s refusal to call for a ceasefire is just as important.
“In past elections, I voted a straight ticket,” Bhavani Iyer, a University of Michigan student, told WaPo. “But in this one, I feel like it’s probably not going to be that way.”
US President Joe Biden (L), sits with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at the start of the Israeli war cabinet meeting, in Tel Aviv on October 18, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (Photo by MIRIAM ALSTER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Democrats, Muslim groups and members of Biden’s administration have continuously pressured the president to call for a ceasefire. Through the Israel-Hamas war, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby has stressed the United States believes a ceasefire would only benefit Hamas.
“We are working hard to highlight how an extreme MAGA agenda would devastate the financial security, safety, and freedom of young people, and how President Biden and Vice President Harris are fighting for the future that America’s young people deserve,” spokesperson for Biden’s re-election, Kevin Munoz, said in a statement, according to WaPo. “As Democrats did in 2020 and 2022, we will meet younger Americans where they are and earn their votes.”
Another University of Michigan student, Breah Marie Willy, told WaPo her peers have started to form “parasocial” relationships with civilians in Gaza through social media. Willy also said her friends have started referring to the president as “Genocide Joe” because he won’t call for a ceasefire.
“The general sentiment [on campus] towards Joe Biden is that he absolutely sucks. But we have to put up with him because his alternative is even worse,” Zaynab Elkolaly, a University of Michigan student, told the Washington Post.