Biden should heed the Gaza protest vote warning in Michigan. It could cost him in November.

The Democratic Party received a message from Michigan voters this week. The Biden campaign would be wise to take it seriously.

A month before the primary, progressives in the state launched a campaign to have Democrats vote for the “uncommitted” option Tuesday due to their disappointment with how President Joe Biden has continued to support Israel in the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Their goal was to get 10,000 people to vote against Biden. More than 100,000 people ended up casting ballots for “uncommitted,” making up 13.2% of the vote in the Democratic primary. He actually lost in Dearborn, a Detroit suburb with significant Arab American and Muslim populations.

Why these voters are frustrated with Biden

It is a statement that Biden’s campaign would be remiss to ignore. The fact that more than 100,000 people went out of their way to vote in the primary at all instead of staying home shows growing discontent with the conflict, and the nation’s relationship with Israel.

Where's the Biden campaign? Somebody tell Biden 2024 is here and he needs to step up his election campaign game

More than 30,000 Palestinians have died since fighting began after Oct. 7, when Hamas led an attack on Israel that killed 1,200.

In addition to the death toll, nearly 70,000 Palestinians have been injured and roughly 1.7 million displaced.

In response, there have been protests across the United States demanding a cease-fire. The vote in Michigan occurred the day after an active-duty member of the Air Force self-immolated in front of the Israeli Embassy as a form of protest.

Biden told reporters this week that he hopes to have a cease-fire agreement by Monday. Whether this is possible is up to Hamas and Israeli officials. Right now, neither side seems to agree with his timeline for negotiations.

Meanwhile, there are increasing concerns about a potential famine and lack of clean water in the Gaza Strip.

The United States sends $3.8 billion to Israel each year for its military. The Senate recently approved $14.1 billion in additional aid to Israel; the same package splits $9.2 billion in humanitarian aid between Gaza, Ukraine and other war zones.

Biden could bear the brunt of these decisions come November.

Gaza could create problems for Biden in November

I don't know what the administration should or shouldn’t do with the situation in Gaza, but it's clear that the conflict isn't being resolved anytime soon, and recent polling reveals a growing number of Americans feel Israel has gone too far.

Whether it's fair or not, the Biden campaign has to deal with how the president's policy could impact his reelection effort and with the possibility that the protest campaign in Michigan could continue through the election.

At the end of the day, the ongoing conflict in Gaza is just one issue that is mobilizing voters. If the fighting continues into November, constituents will have to decide if standing on principle is worth the risk of reelecting Donald Trump, the self-described "most pro-Israel president ever."

Wake up, Mr. President: Your support for Israel over Gaza may well cost you the election

Biden's challenge remains getting his message to Democrats

If Biden is committed to negotiating a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas, he needs to make that clear to his voters. After Michigan's vote, the Biden administration is considering airdropping more supplies into Gaza, in addition to the more than $180 million in humanitarian aid sent since Oct. 7.

Biden has also warned against the potential invasion of Rafah, a city housing more than 1 million displaced Palestinians.

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These steps do not change the catastrophe of the past few months, nor do they change Biden's previous support of Israel. They are, however, steps in the right direction.

Biden should take the Michigan decision as a sign that this is something voters want to see action on. His campaign should see it as a poll on what voters in the United States want to see – and it's clear that many want their president to be a stronger advocate for the Palestinians suffering at the hands of a U.S. ally.

Follow USA TODAY elections columnist Sara Peque?o on X, formerly Twitter, @sara__pequeno and Facebook facebook.com/PequenoWrites.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden lost Michigan voters to uncommitted. He should pay attention