"Uncommitted" wins 11 delegates in Minnesota Democratic primary
Published Date: 3/6/2024
Source: axios.com
Data: Associated Press, Axios research; Note: Colorado lists the option as "non-committed delegate"; Alaska is only holding a GOP caucus; Map: Axios Visuals

Minnesota will send 11 "uncommitted" delegates to the Democratic National Convention, the DFL Party announced Wednesday.

Why it matters: While President Biden won the state in a landslide, the outcome was a win for activists looking to use the ballot option to send a message to the Biden administration over the Israel-Hamas war.

Driving the news: More than 45,000 Minnesota's Democratic primary voters — close to 19% of the electorate — backed "uncommitted" on Tuesday.

  • The performance netted the movement 11 of the 75 Democratic delegate spots up for grabs in the state on Tuesday.
  • President Biden, who won 70% of the vote, will get the other 64 delegates.

Catch up fast: The Minnesota uncommitted push followed a similar effort in Michigan. Local organizers in Minnesota ramped up a largely grassroots campaign that included phone banks and newspaper ads in the final days leading up to the primary.

  • "We only had a week and the smallest amount of funding at @uncommittedmn. But we showed up for Gaza," organizer Asma Mohammed wrote on X. "The Biden administration has no choice but to respond."

Zoom in: "Uncommitted" performed strongest in the Twin Cities metro.

  • In the Minneapolis-based 5th Congressional District, a DFL stronghold represented by U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, it won just over 30% of the vote.

Zoom out: At least half of the 16 Super Tuesday states had an "uncommitted" line, no preference option or write-in slot on their Democratic presidential primary ballot, Axios' Sareen Habeshian and Emma Hurt write.

  • The "uncommitted" vote share elsewhere on Tuesday ranged from 3.7% in Iowa to 12% in North Carolina.

The big picture: The movement's success underscores concerns some Democrats have about how the war in Gaza may hurt Biden among some factions of the party's base.

The other side: The Biden campaign told the New York Times that the president "believes making your voice heard and participating in our democracy is fundamental to who we are as Americans."

  • "He shares the goal for an end to the violence and a just, lasting peace in the Middle East. He's working tirelessly to that end," the spokesperson Lauren Hitt said.