The war in Gaza is increasingly becoming a big issue in the race for president. President Biden’s approach to the war has alienated many in his coalition.
Pro-Palestine protesters continue to dog Biden at public events around the country. And unless he changes his rhetoric on the war, protesters like Bahar Zaker of Syracuse expect it to have an impact on this year’s elections.
"A lot of Joe Biden's constituents are very upset and very disaffected with what he's doing," Zaker said." We perceive that he's allowing through financial and political support this genocide to continue. So I think that's rightfully angering a lot of his own constituents, young people, Democrats."
Le Moyne College political science professor Jonathan Parent said for Biden to keep the coalition that won him the presidency in 2020, the disaffection of these voters can hurt him.
“It's really a tightrope that he's walking here where too far one way or the other, he risks alienating again, this very broad coalition that he was able to get together in 2020 and try to keep that coalition together,” Parent said.
Parent said there is a clear generational divide when it comes to the war in Gaza, with people under 30 much more likely to support the Palestinian point of view.
"If they weren't just staying home, they would probably go either to Jill Stein, the Green Party nominee," Parent said. "Or to Cornel West, who's been very vocal in his opposition to the war in Gaza, although he is having a lot of trouble getting on ballots, so he would probably more likely be a write-in candidate.”
He suggests it could have the potential to shake up politics regarding the traditional U.S. support for Israel.
"As more of these folks come into the electorate, it's going to be harder and harder for either party to sort of maintain this sort of unquestioned, sort of, lot-step support for Israel because there's going to be increasingly vocal opposition to that," Parent said.
