DEARBORN — The uncommitted movement aimed to pressure the Biden administration for a Gaza ceasefire while ensuring Donald Trump's defeat, according to reports. Alawieh is one of three co-founders of the initiative, alongside Layla Elabed and Lexis Zeidan. The group sought to leverage electoral influence to shape foreign policy outcomes during the 2024 election cycle.

"I decided: 'Oh, actually, the only fix here is we have to take power away from those leaders who are misusing it,'" Alawieh said in an interview. This sentiment drove the strategy to challenge incumbent officials who did not align with the movement's demands regarding the conflict in the Middle East.

The political landscape in Michigan has shifted over the last decade. The number of Arab residents in the state grew by 75% from 2010 to 2020, according to Arab American Institute data. Arab Americans now represent approximately 4% of Michigan’s electorate, with most concentrated in metropolitan Detroit.

Activists launched the "Listen to Michigan" campaign before the state’s late February 2024 primary to mobilize this demographic. The effort contributed to the broader uncommitted vote total that drew national attention to the issue of the war in Gaza. Democratic presidential candidates have drawn the majority of Arab votes since the mid-2000s.

Kamala Harris received 31% of the vote in Michigan precincts with majority Arab voters in the 2024 presidential election. Nationally, Harris received 47% of the Arab American vote in the same election. Third-party candidates received 8% of the Arab American vote nationally in the 2024 presidential election.

"It was a lack of leadership from the [Democratic] campaign to not engage at the level of the candidate when the other guy was showing up to have meals with people," Maya Berry, executive director of the Arab American Institute, said.

Andy Levin, a former congressman and mentor to Abbas Alawieh, defended the movement's dual goals. "Our point was, President Biden, wake up. We need you to win re-election. We can’t have Donald Trump anywhere near the White House ever again," Levin said.

Local organizations played a key role in supporting Alawieh’s state senate bid. Layla Elabed and Lexis Zeidan founded Arab Americans for Progress in metropolitan Detroit. The group runs a fellowship program to train Arab Americans for leadership and organized grassroots efforts, including door-knocking and mailers, for Alawieh’s campaign.

Broader political networks also engaged in the election cycle. Emgage Action lobbies Congress and endorses candidates addressing concerns for Arab Muslim voters. The organization has endorsed progressive Democratic candidates due to Islamophobia pushed by Republican officials. Emgage Action endorsed candidates in 14 states in 2026, including Michigan, Texas, Florida, New York, and New Jersey.

"We’ve seen a lot of leadership from the Arab American community [and] Muslim American community," Amirah Sequeira, director of federal affairs for the Working Families Party, said. Sequeira added that the conflict had a mobilizing effect on multiple demographics. "The genocide in Gaza has obviously exponentially increased involvement in politics" for Arab voters, progressives, and young people, she said. She stated that Arab American and Muslim American leadership has been "extraordinarily important" to progressive victories in the 2026 primaries.

Why It Matters

The uncommitted movement demonstrated the capacity of Arab American voters to influence primary outcomes and demand policy attention on foreign policy issues. By securing more than 700,000 votes, the group established a measurable bloc that candidates could not ignore. The subsequent election results showed a divergence between national trends and local preferences in key Michigan precincts.

The organizational infrastructure built by groups like Arab Americans for Progress and Emgage Action indicates a long-term shift in political engagement. These entities continue to endorse candidates and train leaders beyond the 2024 cycle. The movement’s ability to transition from primary protest to winning legislative nominations suggests a lasting change in how these communities interact with the Democratic party.

Timeline

The number of Arab residents in Michigan grew by 75% from 2010 to 2020. The uncommitted movement secured more than 700,000 "uncommitted" votes in the 2024 Democratic presidential primaries to pressure the US government to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Republican campaigns distributed mailers opposing the war in Gaza to voters in Dearborn in 2024. Donald Trump and third-party candidate Jill Stein made campaign stops in Dearborn during the 2024 election cycle.

Activists launched the "Listen to Michigan" campaign before the state’s late February 2024 primary. Abbas Alawieh won the Democratic nomination for the Dearborn state senate seat in August 2024. The Democratic party did not include a Palestinian American speaker at the 2024 Democratic National Convention. The Democratic party did not add an embargo on arms to Israel to its platform in 2024.

What's New

Additional reporting indicates that the Uncommitted movement had a formal request for a meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris before September 15, 2024, which was set by Abbas Alawieh and the movement. Contextual information notes that the Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party.