Wisconsin voters reminded Biden his support of Israel is a problem. He's not listening.
Progressive voters in Wisconsin, a swing state that helped Joe Biden secure the presidency four years ago, issued an emphatic warning Tuesday about his chances for winning a second term.
Activists there, incensed that Biden has not done more to curtail Israel's military offensive in Gaza following the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack, set a goal of getting at least 20,000 Democratic primary voters to select "uninstructed" for delegates on Tuesday's ballot as a rejection of Biden. They got more than twice that, with more than 48,000 Democrats voting that way.
The 20,000 goal was set to drive home a significant threat for Biden, who defeated former President Donald Trump by just 20,682 votes in Wisconsin in 2020.
In addition, 17,714 Democrats cast ballots Tuesday for U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, who suspended his campaign last month.
Biden still won the Wisconsin primary with more than half a million votes, 88.6% of the turnout. But 11.4% of the voters sent him a warning in a state where he is in a virtual tie in a Trump rematch, according to an average of polls assembled by RealClearPolitics.
The general election is seven months away. Activists in Wisconsin and other states are impatient as Biden shifts his rhetoric about Israel and Gaza but not his policy.
Residents in other states also cast protest votes in Democratic primaries last month, sending Biden that message. But so far, only his talk has changed while his policy remains the same.
The latest news out of Gaza didn't help Biden on Tuesday
The Wisconsin primary happened one day after Israel Defense Forces' airstrikes killed seven workers from World Central Kitchen, a relief organization run by chef José Andrés that was feeding people to counter the starvation that has risen in the conflict.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called that "tragic" but also shrugged it off as something that "happens in war." He said his government would look into it, a refrain all too common from his government these days as aid workers and civilian casualties mount from IDF's apparently indiscriminate field of fire.
Biden on Tuesday said he was "outraged and heartbroken by the deaths."
"Even more tragically, this is not a stand-alone incident," Biden said in a statement. "This conflict has been one of the worst in recent memory in terms of how many aid workers have been killed."
He added: "Israel has also not done enough to protect civilians."
Activists in Wisconsin say the same thing about Biden.
Biden should consider actually listening to Wisconsin
Halah Ahmad, a spokesperson for Listen To Wisconsin, said the activists built their information campaign in just two weeks and had it ready to go for a primary held while snow fell in much of the state. She sees Tuesday's turnout as proof that voters feel "betrayed and morally misaligned" with Biden.
The Biden campaign did not contact Listen To Wisconsin before the primary to hear them out, Ahmad said, and she has been less than impressed with Biden's recent limited engagement with protesters at events while still sending significant military aid to Israel.
She said the conflict's impact on civilians, especially the deaths of thousands of children, won't be tolerated any longer by voters who object to Biden's foreign policy.
"I think it would be a big mistake, a very big mistake, to ignore numbers like these when you're going into what is going to be a tight election," Ahmad said, noting that Trump won Wisconsin by less than 1% in 2016.
Gallup polling released less than two weeks ago showed that Biden's overall job approval had inched up to 40% but fell to 27% when those surveyed were asked specifically about his handling of Middle East issues.
Ahmad said her group conducted a poll last week that found "overwhelming support for permanent and immediate cease-fire" in Gaza, and that 1 in 5 voters surveyed said they would or might shift support to Biden if he changed his approach.
Biden needs abortion on the ballot. Republicans can't stop helping him.
Will Biden start to notice and respond to these protest votes?
There were more warning shots for the president Tuesday.
In Rhode Island, which Biden won in 2020 with almost 60% of the vote, nearly 1 in 5 Democrats cast a ballot for someone else in Tuesday's primary. This included 14.5% who went with "uncommitted," 2.5% for Phillips and 2.3% for write-in candidates, leaving Biden with a victory at 80.7%.
In Connecticut's Democratic primary, 15% of the voters rejected Biden, with "uncommitted" taking 11.6% of the ballot and the rest sprinkled among Phillips and two other candidates. Biden prevailed with 85%.
The people voting against Biden in these primaries aren't expecting him to lose. They're expecting him to notice that they're not happy with his foreign policy in Gaza.
They're super-voters, turning out for primaries that are meaningless in the presidential election. We've known for months we're getting a Biden-Trump rematch. Tuesday's protest votes are all about sending a message.
Democrats will not just follow Biden down this election's path
With no serious challenger on Democratic primary ballots, Biden's biggest challenge this year has always been progressive voters furious about Israel.
Wake up, Mr. President: Your support for Israel over Gaza may well cost you the election
Swing-state Michigan sent him that message last month, when 13% of the ballots in the Democratic primary went to "uncommitted."
More states followed. Nearly 19% of Minnesota Democratic primary voters cast ballots for "uncommitted" on Super Tuesday last month, while nearly 13% voted "no preference" in North Carolina and 9% of the votes were for "no preference" in Massachusetts.
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There was one upside for Biden on Tuesday. Plenty of Republican primary voters cast ballots showing they're not happy with their party's presumptive nominee, either.
Trump won 79% of the primary vote in Wisconsin while Nikki Haley, who suspended her campaign a month ago, took nearly 13%.
In Rhode Island, Trump won 84.5%, but Haley took in nearly 11%.
And in Connecticut, Trump won 78% while Haley took 14%.
Trump was in Green Bay on Tuesday night telling Wisconsin supporters the Hamas attacks would not have happened if he were still president. Typical, hollow rhetoric for him.
Biden is president, in part because he won Wisconsin four years ago. A statement about being "heartbroken" is equally hollow unless he takes some significant action on policy now to force Israel to stop killing aid workers and civilians.
Follow USA TODAY elections columnist Chris Brennan on X, formerly known as Twitter: @ByChrisBrennan
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden's support of Israel is still a campaign problem. Does he care?
