Gov. Gretchen Whitmer pushes back on Michigan's progressive efforts to vote 'uncommitted' against Joe Biden - and warns against a 'devastating' second term for ex-president

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer warned progressives in her state against casting an 'uncommitted' protest ballot instead of voting for President Joe Biden in the state's primary next week.

Democrats and pro-Palestinian activists in Michigan are mobilizing to cast their ballot against Biden to protest his backing of Israel in its war with Hamas terrorists operating out of Gaza.

Michigan will hold the next presidential primary contest on Tuesday, February 27.

'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,' Whitmer told CNN State of the Union host Dana Bash on Sunday.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) pushed back on efforts by progressives in her state to cast their primary election ballot for 'uncommitted' rather than vote for President Joe Biden

Progressives are angry with how Biden has handled the situation in Israel during its war with Hamas terrorists operating out of Gaza

'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,' the Democratic governor continued. 'This was a man that proposed a Muslim ban. This is, I think, a very high-stakes moment.'

'I'm encouraging people to cast an affirmative vote for President Biden.'

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), who is Palestinian-American and part of the progressive squad in Congress, is backing the protest ballot effort against the president. She was at an early voting site last weekend promoting the initiative.

Michigan held its first-ever early in-person voting this primary cycle – and since the start of early voting last Saturday more than 500,000 Michigan voters have cast their ballots. The early voting period ends on Sunday, February 25.

While Biden is the de facto Democratic nominee, Michigan voters want to send a message that they want the White House to change messaging on its policy in Israel and Palestinian enclaves in Gaza and the West Bank.

'I understand the pain that people are feeling and I will continue 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,' Whitmer said on Sunday.

Michigan held two weekends of early in-person voting for the 2024 presidential primary. Early voting in the state ends on Sunday, Feb. 25 ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, Feb 27

The governor is one of Biden's top surrogates and is promoting his reelection in her state, which is a critical swing state in the 2024 general election.

In 2016, Michigan voted red for Trump by a tiny 0.3 percent margin. And in 2020 the state flipped blue for Biden by a nearly 3 percent gap.

Trump is looking to bring the state back to red in the 2024 election – align with other swing states that could determine who is sitting behind the Resolute Desk in January 2025.