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The almost 19 percent showing by “uncommitted” Democratic voters in Minnesota’s March presidential primary have left the movement at a bit of a crossroads.

Can those upset over President Joe Biden’s handling of Middle East affairs force more policy change from the inside or are they better off railing against the incumbent at all costs?

That dynamic will be at play this weekend as Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party gathers in Duluth for its state convention. The convention opens Friday afternoon and runs through Sunday. Many who were partial to the uncommitted push will be in the room and many others could be making their frustration heard outside the convention hall.

Kevin Aldwaik, who took part this week in an Abandon Biden rally in Minneapolis, will be a delegate to the state convention. He said he’s a long-time DFL supporter but he wants to see the party voice stronger opposition to U.S. support for weapons used against Palestinian people. 

“All the DFLers — I always voted for the party lines — you’ll never get my vote again until I see a change in trajectory with acknowledgement of our American values: equal rights for all, respect for international law," Aldwaik said this week, adding, “If we protest, we get labeled as pro-Hamas. We are not. It’s an American value to call for liberation for an oppressed people.”

College professor Hassan Abdel Salam, who has taught human rights and social justice courses at the University of Minnesota, went further in his condemnation of the Biden administration when it comes to the Israel-Hamas war that has exacted a steep toll on Gaza.

“Today, our slogan at Abandon Biden, is four years under any Republican is incomparable to one day in Gaza,” he said. “And that for the pursuit of civil rights, four years of sacrifice, for transformational change, is a bargain.”

The Abandon Biden contingent plans to send busloads of people to be present outside the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center. 

Sam Doten, treasurer of the Minneapolis DFL and chair of the Democratic Socialist Caucus, helped the group Uncommitted Minnesota ahead of Super Tuesday. He is realistic about the amount of change that can be made within the party process.

“I have no illusions. Like, numerically, we are just a few dozen across the entire country in a national convention of thousands,” he said. “We’re not denying Biden the nomination. But I think we’re raising attention to a real vulnerability.”

Asma Mohammed helped turnout the uncommitted vote in March here. She’s vying for an at-large national delegate spot this weekend. Minnesota Democrats will have at least 11 “uncommitted” delegates as part of the contingent headed to Chicago in August.

“We’re lifelong Democrats. Right? We don’t want a Republican president,” she said. “And this president is making it so hard to build any kind of movement within the party that people feel excited about. Uncommitted did that.”

As she filed her own campaign paperwork this week, U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar illustrated the balancing act between those who want to push Biden hard on his strong support for Israel and those who worry about pushing too hard.

More than 30 percent of Democratic voters in Omar’s district went with “uncommitted” on Super Tuesday. 

“We still need to keep the pressure on. It is unconscionable. What is happening, and the fact that it continues to happen with our support is something that does not sit well with my heart or the hearts of so many. And so we have to continue to pressure the administration to change course,” Omar said. 

But she has endorsed Biden’s reelection campaign.

“There’s too much at stake not to,” Omar said.

Omar has the endorsement of the DFL in her primary race against Don Samuels, a former Minneapolis city council member whom she beat in 2022 by just two percentage points. Samuels has accused Omar of being too divisive for the district, accusing her of picking a side when it comes to the Middle East.

DFL Party Chair Ken Martin said it’s important the party comes out of the convention energized and unified. 

“I have faith in people who are concerned right now about the Middle East, that they’ll come around on this issue, when the choice is very clear this November,” he said.

Among other Democrats, there are concerns the movement could play into the hands of former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee in waiting. If Biden creates too much distance from longtime ally Israel, Jewish voters could hold it against the president.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips ran for president against Biden but is now supporting him. 

He came in behind “uncommitted” in his home state — and barely edged that option in the 3rd Congressional District he represents. Phillips is advocating for a virtual nomination out of fear of chaos at the August Democratic National Convention in Chicago. 

“There’s a lot of risk, very little reward,” Phillips said of the prospect of letting the convention devolve into shouting and protest. “And we live increasingly in an era where one video clip can change the course of history.”

MPR News senior politics reporter Dana Ferguson and MPR News intern Cari Spencer contributed to this report.

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Democratic voters who opted for “uncommitted” on their primary ballots grapple with whether they have more leverage pushing the party on the Middle East from inside or as a stand-their-ground movement outside.

‘Uncommitted’ voters see how far they can push Democrats or if it’s even worth trying

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‘Uncommitted’ voters see how far they can push Democrats or if it’s even worth trying

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