Uncommitted Movement Refuses to Endorse Kamala Harris

The Uncommitted movement has announced though it opposes another Donald Trump presidency and doesn’t recommend voting for a third party in November, it will not be formally backing Kamala Harris’ bid for the presidency. The move is a sharp rebuke to the vice president’s refusal to endorse more aggressive policies towards Israel’s indiscriminate tactics in Gaza and bring an end to the war ravaging the region. 

“Vice President Harris’s 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,” Uncommitted wrote in a statement on Thursday. 

“At this time, our movement 1) cannot endorse Vice President Harris; 2) opposes a Donald Trump presidency, whose agenda includes plans to accelerate the killing in Gaza while intensifying the suppression of anti-war organizing; and 3) is not recommending a third-party vote in the Presidential election,” they added, noting that third-party votes could swing November’s election in Trump’s favor. 

Uncommitted also cited the Democratic National Convention’s refusal to allow a Palestinian speaker to address the convention and Harris’ failure to meet with members of the Uncommitted movement after the DNC as factors in their decision. 

Uncommitted began as an electoral protest movement during the Democratic primaries, urging voters opposing the Biden administration’s continued provision of military aid to Israel to vote “uncommitted” on their ballot. In Michigan alone, over 100,000 voters participated in the protest, representing 13 percent of the primary electorate. Nationally, Uncommitted managed to secure 700,000 primary votes and 37 delegates in the nominating convention. 

Following Biden’s exit from the race, the movement hoped to make progress toward its goals through Harris. More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel’s offensive against Gaza, and as ceasefire talks stall in a perpetual state of negotiation and sabotage by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, Uncommitted has pressed for the U.S. to cut off arms sales to Israel. 

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Uncommitted has demanded an immediate and permanent ceasefire, a weapons embargo against Israel, and an end to the occupation of Palestinian territory. 

For many supporting the movement, Harris’ tightrope walk between affirming support for Israel, and condemning the human suffering in Gaza is not enough without a concrete plan of action to end the carnage. 

During her acceptance speech at the DNC, Harris declared that she will “always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself.” 

“At the same time, what has happened in Gaza over the past 10 months is devastating. So many innocent lives lost. Desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, over and over again. The scale of suffering is heartbreaking,” Harris added. “President [Joe] Biden and I are working to end this war such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom, and self-determination.” 

The administration has made little progress on the call to action. 

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“We came together, first in Michigan, and then in state after state to insist that even through our pain and grief, we must organize to save lives, advance policies that build rather than destroy, and create a future where not another bomb from our country drops on a civilian anywhere in our world,” Uncommitted wrote on Thursday. 

“We are proud to have grown our movement, even as our government continues to send bombs that destroy families. Our organizing around the presidential election was never about endorsing a specific candidate; it has always been about building a movement that saves lives,” they added.