(NEW JERSEY, NJ, June 05, 2024) — CAIR Action today applauded the 40,000+ voters who voted “uncommitted” in the New Jersey primary election and celebrated the victories of endorsed candidates.
Most New Jersey counties had the option of selecting “Uncommitted, Justice for Palestine. Permanent Ceasefire Now” as their ballot option for the protest vote. In This is in response to the frustration with President Biden’s ongoing support of the genocide in Gaza.
In NJ-10, Prospect Park Mayor Mohamed Khairullah (D) ran as pro-Palestine challenger vs pro-Israel US Rep Bill Pascrell (D) in the primary. Khairullah was endorsed by CAIR Action New Jersey and despite only running a campaign for 180 days, garnered 23.5% of the vote with 95% of precincts reporting.
In Piscataway, the PiscatawayMoms4Change ran as a united front with Staci Berger (D) running against Brian Wahler (D) for Mayor, and Laura Leibowitz, Sarah Rashid, and Viola Stone running for At-Large Township council positions. All were endorsed by CAIR Action New Jersey. Rashid and Leibowitz won their council positions marking historic victories in Piscataway.
Additionally, CAIR Action New Jersey conducted an exit survey with initial results showing out of the 464 respondents, 96% voted “Uncommitted” or wrote-in “Uncommitted” in both the Democratic and Republican Primaries. Of those, 97% said they plan to vote in the general election, of which 58% said they would vote for a presidential candidate.
In a statement, CAIR Action Executive Director Basim Elkarra said:
“New Jersey residents showed up in droves, sending the message they will not stand in support of Biden or the Democratic establishment’s support of genocide. They said no to their tax dollars going towards the bombing of innocent civilians. They said no to the ethnic cleansing and erasure of the Palestinian people. They said no to the worst human-induced famine in living memory.
The people of New Jersey would not lend their names and support this evil in the primary yesterday. Biden must be prepared for another NO in the general election if his stance on Gaza does not drastically change, beginning with an immediate ceasefire. These are not insignificant margins, these are state-losing percentages.
This shot across the bow must be taken seriously if the establishment means what they say when they call this ‘the most important election of our lifetime’.”
CAIR Action, a 501(c)4 is dedicated to enhancing the civic engagement, political participation, and impact of the American Muslim community in local, state, and federal government and elections.
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CONTACT: CAIR Action NJ – [email protected]
Basim Elkarra, Executive Director, CAIR Action, [email protected]
