The Uncommitted Movement made an announcement on Thursday stating that they would not be endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic candidate for president.
According to a statement released alongside a Thursday morning press conference, Uncommitted cited Vice President Harris’s refusal to shift on unconditional weapons policy or to make a clear campaign statement supporting existing U.S. and international human rights law as the reasons for their decision not to endorse her.
The group mentioned at the press conference that their decision came after Harris declined to meet with Uncommitted delegates. They had given her until September 16 to meet with them in Michigan, a crucial swing state, but the deadline passed earlier this week.
Initially hopeful that Harris’s nomination would lead to a policy shift towards Israel and Gaza, Uncommitted leaders and observers were disappointed by her strong pro-Israel record. Despite efforts by Harris’s campaign to reach out to Arab and Muslim voters, the group was dissatisfied with her stance.
After President Joe Biden withdrew as the Democratic nominee, Harris’s aides were cautious of criticism for neglecting Arab and Muslim constituents by providing significant military aid to Israel.
Uncommitted delegates and supporters had hoped that Harris would distance herself from Biden’s unwavering support for Israel’s military and take a tougher stance against human rights abuses in Israel.
During the press conference on Thursday morning, Uncommitted co-founder Abbas Alawieh expressed disappointment in Harris and her campaign’s response to their policy demands and outreach opportunities.
While Uncommitted chose not to endorse Harris, they reiterated their opposition to a Donald Trump presidency and advised uncommitted voters to cast anti-Trump votes to prevent inadvertently boosting Trump’s Electoral College advantage.
Harris’s campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The tone of Harris’s public remarks denouncing civilian killings in Palestine had given Democrats hope for a change in her stance on Israel and Gaza. However, her reiterated support for Israel’s right to defend itself raised concerns among critics.
Uncommitted’s decision not to support Harris may not significantly impact her chances in the presidential race, but it indicates a setback in engaging disenchanted voters beyond just the Arab and Muslim communities.
Uncommitted voters who spoke to The Intercept emphasized the need for significant policy changes to end civilian casualties in Gaza, regardless of the Democratic nominee.
Shaneez Hamed, an uncommitted voter in California who previously said policy change in Gaza was a red line to secure his vote, told The Intercept on Wednesday that he was not planning to vote for Harris in November.
“She is not going to support an arms embargo against Israel,” Hamed wrote in an email. “She repeated the same old talking points about Israel/Hamas with no real change in policy. And this is all in addition to the happy parade her campaign has been doing for getting the endorsement of a war criminal such as Dick Cheney. So no, I will not be voting for Harris in November unless she changes her foreign policy. I’m tired of paying taxes for ‘the most lethal army in the world’ to go and bomb poor people of the global south.”
Another uncommitted voter who spoke to The Intercept in July said on Wednesday that he was planning to vote for Jill Stein.
“As of now, Harris has not earned my vote, no,” said Washington, D.C., voter Will Dawson. “I held out early on in the hopes that she’d appeal to the demands of the Democratic Party of whom the overwhelming majority have called for an immediate ceasefire with threat of full arms embargo/boycott if not met. And she has doubled down, saying there is nothing whatsoever the Israeli colony could do that would cease America’s support.”
Update: September 19, 2024, 11:20 a.m. ET
This story has been updated to include reporting and quotes from Uncommitted’s Thursday morning press conference.
