LANSING, Mich. (AP) 鈥� Leaders of a Democratic against the Israel-Hamas war said Thursday that they would not endorse Vice President 鈥� presidential bid but strongly urged their supporters to vote against in November.
The 鈥淯ncommitted鈥� movement drew hundreds of thousands of votes in Democratic primaries earlier this year in protest of President 鈥檚 handling of the . The group鈥檚 leaders urged the administration to change its policy on the conflict, warning that some Democratic voters might otherwise abstain from voting in November, particularly in swing state .
Despite with top Democratic officials, discontent within the protest-vote ranks only grew after the when they were a speaker on stage and other demands weren't met.
Harris' "unwillingness to shift on unconditional weapons policy or to even make a clear campaign statement in support of upholding existing U.S. and international human rights law has made it impossible for us to endorse her,鈥� movement leaders said in a statement.
Group leaders also made clear in their statement that they strongly opposed supporters voting for Trump or a third-party candidate who 鈥渃ould help inadvertently deliver a Trump presidency.鈥� Instead, they urged voters to register 鈥渁nti-Trump votes and vote up and down the ballot.鈥�
鈥淚n our assessment, our movement鈥檚 best hope for change lies in growing our anti-war organizing power, and that power would be severely undermined by a Trump administration,鈥� the leaders said.
After the DNC failed to include a Palestinian American speaker as requested, the group asked Harris鈥� campaign to respond by Sept. 15 to their request for the vice president to meet with Palestinian American families in Michigan and to discuss their demands for halting arms sales to Israel and securing a permanent ceasefire. The group claims these demands were not met.
The movement when over 100,000 voters marked 鈥淯ncommitted,鈥� in the state鈥檚 Democratic primary. The state is home to the nation's largest concentration of Arab Americans, making them an important electoral group as each presidential candidate attempts to win the crucial battleground state.
Both nominees have been actively trying to win over leaders in metro Detroit's large community. Last month, Harris met with the mayor of Dearborn, the nation鈥檚 largest Arab American community, while on Tuesday, Trump sat down with the mayor of Hamtramck, a majority-Muslim city in metro Detroit, seeking his endorsement.
Joey Cappelletti, The Associated Press
