Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Admits She’s ‘Not Sure’ How Biden Will Fare Against Potential Protest Vote in Tuesday’s Michigan Primary

Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer admitted during an interview on Sunday that she is “not sure” how President Joe Biden will perform against a possible protest vote in her state’s primary on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, Democrats are hosting a primary election in Michigan where Biden may face a potential protest vote from progressive activists opposing his administration’s policy regarding Israel and the conflict in the Gaza region. Michigan is a key swing state in the general election and former President Donald Trump currently leads the Democratic frontrunner by nearly five points, according to Real Clear Politics.

When asked how Biden would fare against a potential protest or uncommitted vote on Tuesday by CNN’s Dana Bash during an interview on State of the Union, Whitmer said she was “not sure.”

However, she warned her Democratic allies “any vote that’s not cast for Joe Biden supports a second Trump term.”

BASH: One of the tests of,what is going to happen in November could come in this primary on Tuesday. And the question is how deep Democratic divisions are over a lot of issues, the biggest of which I think in your state is the war in Gaza. Some of the leaders, very vocal, respected leaders inside your state, Rashida Tlaib is one of them. They’re pushing Democrats to vote uncommitted on Tuesday instead of voting for President Biden in order to send a message and to protest what the president is doing. This is a real serious campaign, by people like Rashida Tlaib and others. How many uncommitted votes do you think we’re going to see on Tuesday? How worried are you?

WHITMER: Well, I’m not sure what we’re going to see on Tuesday. To tell you the truth, I can tell you this, that, Michigan has been so fortunate to be the home of a robust Arab, Muslim Palestinian community and a robust Jewish community. We’ve lived in harmony as neighbors for decades, and there’s a lot of pain all across all of these communities, because of what’s happening halfway around the world. I know that, we’ve got this, this primary, and we will see differences of opinion. I just want to make the case, though, that it’s important not to lose sight of the fact that any vote that’s not cast for Joe Biden supports a second Trump term. A second Trump term would be devastating, not just on fundamental rights, not just on our democracy here at home, but also when it comes to foreign policy. This was a man who promoted a Muslim ban. This is, I think, a very high stakes moment. I am encouraging people to cast an affirmative vote for President Biden. I understand the pain that people are feeling, and I’ll continue to work to build bridges with folks in all of these communities because they’re all important to me. They’re all important to Michigan, and I know they’re all important to President Biden as well.

BASH: It sounds like you’re preparing for a sizable portion of the vote being uncommitted and sending that protest message to President Biden.

WHITMER: You know, Dana, I’m just not sure what to expect. I think, you know, this is our first time going this early in the process. There are a lot of pressures, and you never know with the weather. You know, there are a lot of different things that can impact what happens on Tuesday. I do know that we’ve got about nine months until the general election, and we are taking Michigan very seriously as as they should. Michigan’s always a state where the election is close.

Watch the clip above via CNN.