88,000 NC voters chose ‘No Preference’ over President Biden. Did Gaza crisis contribute?

Tens of thousands of North Carolina voters chose “no preference” in the Democratic primary for president, rejecting Joe Biden as a national movement urges voters to abandon the president for failing to negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza.

“We’re not here to provide cover for a regime that’s inflicting such brutality on the civilian population,” Pooyan Ordoubadi, North Carolina co-chair of the Abandon Biden movement, said. “... I think it’s a very clear message to the Biden administration that they need to change their ways.”

Since the Oct. 7 attack from Hamas, over 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military offensive, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza. Most of the Palestinians killed were women and children, the ministry said.

Who voted against Biden in the primary, and how does the vote compare to other states? Here’s what you need to know.

88,000 votes for ‘no preference’

According to unofficial results from the State Board of Elections, over 88,000 voters — nearly 13% — selected “no preference” in North Carolina’s Democratic presidential primary. Biden, who received over 606,000 votes, had no opponent listed on the ballot.

Robeson, Tyrrell, Martin, Alleghany and Hyde counties had the highest proportion of “no preference” voters per capita.

Former President Donald Trump received nearly 74% of the vote in the state’s Republican primary. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley received just above 23%, a day before she dropped out of the race. Less than 1% of voters in that race picked “no preference.”

In North Carolina, Republican and Democratic primaries are open to party members and unaffiliated voters.

This isn’t the first time North Carolina voters have eschewed the party’s likely nominee.

In the 2012 Democratic presidential primary, over 20% of North Carolina voters chose “no preference” instead of President Barack Obama, who also had no opponent on the ballot.

What can we tell about voters’ motivations?

The Abandon Biden movement first launched in October and has been active in several battleground states urging voters to deny Biden their vote over his handling of Gaza.

Vice President Kamala Harris called for an immediate, temporary ceasefire in Gaza over the weekend. On Tuesday, Biden said that a potential ceasefire had been offered in exchange for the release of hostages taken by Hamas and was “in the hands of Hamas right now,” Reuters reported.

Susan Roberts, a political science professor at Davidson College, said that without exit polls available, it’s difficult to tell how much Gaza factored into voters’ decisions to choose “no preference.”

“A lot of times, primary voters are looking for electability,” Roberts said. “... There’s no one else (on the ballot), but maybe they’re saying ‘we don’t like the fact that we’re not sure Biden is electable. The party needs someone else.’”

Polls show voters overall have a negative view of Biden. His favorable rating stood at 38% in a poll this month, the New York Times reported.

In Michigan, over 100,000 Democratic primary voters chose “uncommitted” instead of Biden, with votes centered in areas with large Arab-American communities.

Ordoubadi said the movement was encouraged by the results in Michigan, which North Carolina came close to matching despite having a smaller Arab-American population.

“This isn’t just Arabs and Muslims voting,” he said. “This is countless young people, countless people of conscience.”

Nearly 46,000 people voted “uncommitted” in the Minnesota primary on Tuesday, according to unofficial results reported by The Associated Press.

Primary results for the 2024 election will not be finalized until March 26 when the State Board meets to complete the canvass process.