‘Uncommitted’ founder Alawieh who pushed Democrats to vote against Biden over Gaza wins primary

Abbas Alawieh, founder of the Uncommitted movement, won the Democratic primary for Michigan's 2nd Senate District, defeating state representative Erin Byrnes with 59% of the vote. The district covers Dearborn and parts of Detroit. Alawieh, backed by Bernie Sanders and Gretchen Whitmer, previously worked for Rashida Tlaib and others. His victory was acknowledged without a speech due to the death of his grandfather. The Uncommitted movement, which he co-founded, won over 100,000 votes in the 2024 presidential primary. Alawieh has since met with Kamala Harris and urged party leaders to oppose the Israeli military's actions in Gaza and Lebanon.

Abbas Alawieh, a founder of the Uncommitted movement that pressured former US president Joe Biden to change his Israel policy, is the projected winner of a Democratic primary for Michigan's state Senate. Alawieh defeated state representative Erin Byrnes in Tuesday's primary to represent Michigan's 2nd Senate District, a heavily Arab-American area covering Dearborn and parts of Detroit. He won 59% of the vote to Byrnes' 41% after more than 95% of votes were counted, according to the Associated Press, and is now almost certain to win the solid-blue state Senate seat in November. Alawieh, who was born in Lebanon and grew up in Dearborn, acknowledged his victory without giving a speech on Wednesday. His staff announced that Alawieh's maternal grandfather, Hajj Kassem Bazzi, died Tuesday night as they awaited the election results. Alawieh was backed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. He previously worked as a staffer for congressional Democrats, including Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib, former Michigan Rep. Andy Levin, and former Missouri rep. Cori Bush. Alawieh, alongside Layla Elabed, co-founded the campaign urging Michigan Democrats to vote 'uncommitted' in the 2024 Democratic presidential primary. The movement won more than 100,000 votes, or 13% of the overall vote, and spread to other states, rallying more than 650,000 voters nationwide. Alawieh served as one of the Uncommitted delegates at the 2024 Democratic National Convention. He did not make Israel and Gaza a central part of his campaign, instead focusing on supporting working families and investing in healthcare, housing, public transit, and education. Alawieh and Harris have mended fences enough to recently sit down for a meeting. Alawieh responded to an attack on Temple Israel by declaring his support for Jewish Michiganders.