Vice President Kamala Harris’ stated opposition to an arms embargo on Israel is raising an important question ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next week.

One case in point is The Economist, which asked: “Can Kamala Harris win Michigan without Arab-American voters?”

It’s a question more than 100,000 “Uncommitted” Democrats in Michigan, and about 700,000 across the U.S., are hoping the Harris campaign will carefully consider.

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“Vice President Harris is very empathetic, very sympathetic to our movement, to our cause, but right now that is not enough,” Layla Elabed, co-founder of the Uncommitted movement and sister to Michigan Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, told Meet the Press on Tuesday. “That is not enough for Michigan voters, and that is not enough for uncommitted voters.

“We need Vice President Harris to take a page away from Biden’s current policy and use this opportunity to unite this fractured party over an immoral and unpopular Gaza policy.”

Last week, Elabed “broke down in tears” as she pleaded with Harris to meet with uncommitted leaders to discuss an arms embargo against Israel. The exchange in a receiving line ahead of Harris’ rally in Detroit buoyed hopes President Joe Biden’s replacement on the Democratic ticket may be willing to shift away from supporting the nation’s closest ally.

“The Vice President shared her sympathies and expressed an openness to a meeting with uncommitted leaders to discuss and arms embargo,” the uncommitted leaders wrote in a statement.

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More than 100,000 Michigan Democrats voted “uncommitted” in the February presidential primary, representing about 13% of the vote, in an effort to pressure Biden into calling for a permanent ceasefire and halting all military aid to Israel.

“The protest vote was most pronounced on college campuses and in the city of Dearborn, where a majority of residents are of Arab heritage,” The Economist notes. “In nearly half of Dearborn’s precincts the uncommitted vote beat Joe Biden. In Michigan, a swing state, Mr Biden’s poll numbers sank well below the support he enjoyed in 2020, when he won by 2.8 points.”

Michigan’s uncommitted movement, and an associated “Abandon Biden” campaign, has since swelled to more than 700,000 voters nationwide.

While Harris has performed better than Biden in Michigan since taking over his campaign, uncommitted voters have not relented, heckling the Democratic nominee in Detroit: “Kamala, Kamala, you can’t hide! We won’t vote for genocide.”

Harris responded that “every voice matters” but chided her critics when they wouldn’t let up, NBC News reports.

“You know what? If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that,” Harris said. “Otherwise, I’m speaking.”

On the Gaza issue, however, it seems Harris prefers to have others do the talking.

The day after the Detroit rally, Phil Gordon, Harris’ national security advisor, set the record straight.

“.@VP has been clear: she will always ensure Israel is able to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups,” Gordon posted to X. “She does not support an arms embargo on Israel. She will continue to work to protect civilians in Gaza and to uphold international humanitarian law.”

.@VP has been clear: she will always ensure Israel is able to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups. She does not support an arms embargo on Israel. She will continue to work to protect civilians in Gaza and to uphold international humanitarian law.

— Phil Gordon (@PhilGordon46) August 8, 2024

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud told NPR Harris must do more to win the Arab-American vote.

“What we want is more than just someone who is tough on rhetoric,” he said. “We want somebody who is tough on policy. From our perspective, our values have not changed. The policy positions that we’ve been advocating for have not been altered.”

Other uncommitted voters in Michigan seem to have the same perspective.

“There needs to be a policy change, not just a change at the top of the ticket,” Hazel Park student teacher Hank Kennedy told the news site.

“If we’re supposed to vote for the lesser of two evils? I mean, what’s lesser?” he said. “That’s the way I look at it.”

Uncommitted Democrats are expected to continue to protest Harris at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next week, when they plan to host their own convention headlined by third-party candidates Jill Stein and Cornel West, according to The Economist.

About 30 uncommitted delegates also hope to get the message across inside the convention.

Whether Harris is seriously considering the concerns of uncommitted Democrats remains a mystery, though she has shifted her policy positions on several issues, from fracking to border security to private health insurance, since taking over Biden’s campaign.

What she hasn’t done is explain why, or articulate any kind of detailed policy agenda, unlike her Republican challenger.

“Since replacing President Joe Biden at the top of the 2024 Democratic ticket, Vice President Kamala Harris has neither given a sit-down interview nor held a news conference. Her campaign’s website lacks an ‘Issues’ page (there’s only a biography),” The Washington Post editorial board wrote in a recent column. “If she hopes to prevail, Ms. Harris needs to present her ideas. The media and public have legitimate questions, and she should face them.”