Dem
51
GOP
49
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) is not exactly what you call a team player. She is urging Michigan Democrats to vote against Joe Biden in next week's primary. She is unhappy with Biden's support for Israel. While a protest vote in the primary doesn't mean much, telling voters to oppose Biden may stick in their minds and they could sit out the general election in protest. This could result in the election of Donald Trump, whose Middle East policies she will like a whole bunch less than Biden's.
Tlaib is the only Palestinian American in Congress. In November, she was censured by the House for using the slogan: "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," which essentially calls for the elimination of Israel. A group founded by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Our Revolution, has encouraged Michigan voters to choose "Uncommitted" next week, but has explicitly told supporters to vote for Biden in November. Sanders himself does not support the group he founded and says he supports Biden's reelection bid.
Over on the Republican side, there will be a state-run primary on Feb. 27 and two party-run conventions on March 2. How come two? Because the Trumpy faction of the party and the non-Trumpy faction of the party are at war with one another. There was a fight over who the state party chair was. Eventually, the RNC appointed Pete Hoekstra as chair, but the old chair, Kristina Karamo, refused to concede that she had been fired. So each of them will be running their own convention on March 2. The convention will decide which 39 people will be sent to the national convention as delegates (the primary will select 16 more delegates). In any event, it is a mess. (V)