The power on Michigan college campuses before the 2022 midterms, students said, was electric.
Armed with promises to protect abortion rights, the Democratic candidates held large campus rallies, drawing crowds who came prepared to cheer, rather than protest. On Election Day, students turned out in droves — resulting in the largest youth turnout of any state, helping Democrats take full control of Michigan government for the first time in decades.
But ahead of Tuesday’s Democratic primary, the energy seems to have morphed into apathy or anger. Young activists are at the forefront of the ongoing backlash against President Biden’s steadfast support for Israel and his military campaign in Gaza, which began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. to send a message to Mr. Biden in the key state of the general election.
Interviews with more than two dozen students across the state indicated a deepening dissatisfaction, not only with the current president, but with the prospect of again having to choose between two candidates — Mr. Biden and former President Donald J. Trump—decades older than them.
“It was a tense atmosphere on campus,” said Adam Lacasse, a co-president of College Democrats at the University of Michigan. “A lot of people, if they’re not upset with what’s going on, with the administration’s handling of this conflict, are shut out of politics because they don’t want to get involved in it.”
National polls for months have reflected a similar sentiment: Voters under 30, who supported Mr. Biden by more than 20 points in 2020, are not excited about a rematch between Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump, who is heavily favored in the Republican primary. Tuesday.
But for some young people in Michigan and elsewhere, Mr. Biden’s alignment with Israel has created a new concern. Voters under 30 overwhelmingly opposed the conflict in a December New York Times/Siena College poll, saying Israel had not done enough to prevent civilian casualties in Gaza and that the military campaign should stop.
Many students at Michigan, regardless of where they stand on the foreign policy issue, described the conflict as almost inevitable. Campus protests have become commonplace and coverage of the war has dominated social media.
Hussein Bazzi, 24, a student at Wayne State University, said he would vote “non-aligned” to send a message to Mr. Biden: “that we want an immediate ceasefire.” Mr. Bazzi endorsed Mr. Biden in 2020, but is unsure whether he will do so again in November. “If that doesn’t send a clear message to him,” she said, “then I don’t know what does.”
Mr. Biden is still expected to easily win Tuesday’s primary. But the strength of his opposition will be closely watched as a signal for his support heading into November.
A poll conducted by the Detroit News and WDIV-TV in January found that 15.6 percent of Michigan voters 18 to 29 had a favorable view of Mr. Biden.
“If you’re a Democratic incumbent running for re-election, young voters are an essential part of your coalition, and that’s why the numbers we’re seeing in Michigan show that Joe Biden really has a dangerous path right now.” said Richard Tzumba, an independent pollster in Lansing, Mich., who said Mr. Biden’s age was the main cause of discontent.
Several leaders of the Michigan College Democrats said they were concerned that young people just weren’t excited about 2024. Even a small slip in Mr. Biden’s coalition with stay-at-home voters could hurt his chances.
“I’m certainly not going to sugar coat it: I’m personally nervous,” said Liam Richichi, vice president of College Democrats at Michigan State University. He added that students seemed “bored with the prospects we have.”
“I’ve talked to a lot of people in the club, and something we’re actively trying to combat is the potential for low voter turnout,” he added, suggesting the group could focus on down-ballot races like the Senate. In November.
The Biden campaign deployed a few surrogates to reach young people ahead of Tuesday: Rep. Sarah Jacobs of California held a debate at the University of Michigan and Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland led a virtual rally with students.
Alyssa Bradley, communications director for the Biden campaign in Michigan, said Mr. Biden “has taken historic action to support young Americans,” pointing to his passage of climate policy, the forgiveness of millions of student loans and his support for abortion access. he said it was a “complete contrast” from Mr Trump.
“Our rights, our future, and our democracy are on the line this election, and we will continue to mobilize young people to prevent Donald Trump from returning to the White House, just as we did in 2020,” he said.
But some young people said in interviews they were unaware of the president’s track record on issues they care about, part of a messaging challenge the campaign has sought to address by expanding its digital presence. (Mr. Biden made his first TikTok post this month.)
“I recognize the American right to vote, but we also have the right not to, especially if you don’t agree with any of the candidates,” said Aiden Duong, a 19-year-old student in Michigan. it is not part of the “uncommitted” effort. He said he did not plan to endorse Mr. Trump or Mr. Biden in November, citing their ages and what he perceived as inaction on climate change, a key issue for him.
Listen Michigan, the group of mostly young organizers pushing for the “non-aligned” protest vote, has tried to capitalize on Democratic discontent by showing up on college campuses, but has at times struggled to reach that audience. The primaries are held during a week when many Michigan students are on spring break and many students still on campus were unaware of the election.
About 100 people eventually showed up for an “unaligned” rally on the University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus last week. Organizers encouraged attendees to stand in a large circle to take up more space. A march to the polls organized by Listen to Michigan at Kalamazoo College drew about 15 students Saturday.
Mr. Biden said on Monday that he was optimistic of a ceasefire within the next week. But some students who support the effort say nothing will change Mr. Biden’s mind. Salma Hammami, a student at the University of Michigan who has organized pro-Palestinian protests there, said that while she supported Mr. Biden in 2020, she would not do so again.
“For me, it’s beyond redemption – he lost my vote because by voting for him I’m basically saying I’m OK with his actions,” said Ms Hamamy, 22. “If that means Trump gets elected, I blame the Democratic Party for allowing this to happen.”
Students who support Mr. Biden, however, argue that while their peers remain skeptical, the close comparison of the two candidates will be enough to win over young people as November approaches.
Immaculata James, co-president of College Democrats at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich., pointed to the Biden administration’s work in areas such as college debt relief and health care costs by encouraging students to ask, “While it’s not a very exciting election, at the end of the day, what does your future look like under Trump vs. Biden?”
Donovan Greene, a senior at Kalamazoo College who attended the Listen to Michigan walk to the polls, said she supported Mr. Biden in 2020, calling him the “lesser of two evils,” but voted “non-committal” in the primary because of his political of Israel.
However, Ms Green said that in her “last desperate moments” she would consider backing him again in November, saying: “The changes that have happened in the US socially and economically under the presidency of Donald Trump have definitely been what I don’t want to see. .”
