An ‘uncommitted’ delegate finds hope in Tim Walz

A version of this first appeared in The Recast, POLITICO's race and politics newsletter.

When Kamala Harris formally accepts her party’s nomination at the Democratic National Convention next week, tens of thousands of activists plan to greet her with a message: Change your stance on Israel or risk losing the election.

Asma Mohammed won’t be protesting. She’ll be inside the arena itself, one of 30 “uncommitted” delegates representing a grassroots voter consortium that has opposed President Joe Biden’s support for Israel in its ongoing war in Gaza.

In recent weeks, the “uncommitted” movement has seen promise of a new path forward for Palestinians, thanks to Harris’ rise and her pick of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. The latter may be an especially attractive candidate: In the March primary, he praised the movement as “civically engaged” after around 45,000 Minnesotan voters cast protest ballots, enough to send 11 “uncommitted” delegates from the state to the convention. He also called the situation in Gaza “intolerable.”

But the lack of a cease-fire deal, arms embargo ( which Harris still doesn’t support ) or attempts to meet other public demands from uncommitted voters could be a real issue for the Harris-Walz ticket in all-important “Blue Wall” states such as Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. That was clear when pro-Palestinian protesters interrupted the vice president on consecutive days of her swing-state introductory tour.

In a statement to POLITICO, the Harris campaign said the vice president will continue to engage with the Arab, Muslim and Palestinian community members pushing to end the war in Gaza and fight to secure a cease-fire deal.

“As she has said, it is time for this war to end in a way where: Israel is secure, hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinian civilians ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, freedom, and self-determination,” a spokesperson said.

Mohammed, a lead organizer for Uncommitted Minnesota, thinks Harris needs to go further — and fast. She’s counting on her own history working with Walz and successfully pushing him on progressive health care and hate crime bills to give her an opening on Palestine.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Vice President Harris shifted her messaging in successive days on the campaign trail when confronted by demonstrators on the issue of Gaza last week. In Michigan: “If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise I’m speaking.” The next day in Phoenix: “Now is the time to get a cease-fire deal and get the hostage deal done.”

What did you make of the tonal switch?

Michigan is where she should have had that tone, right?

Did you feel that her tone in Michigan was off?

Absolutely. The path to victory runs through Michigan. People in Michigan were waiting for her to address this head-on, be like, “I support a cease-fire and I do have a plan.”

Nobody has heard anything about this plan. And saying, “I support a cease-fire,” I think is barely touching the surface.

There is not a lot of time for people to make big decisions. Having that plan ahead of the Democratic National Convention would be incredibly helpful, not just to delegates, but to people who are feeling completely left out, disenfranchised and hopeless about November.

It was just a week ago that Harris selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, your governor, as her running mate. What does her selection of Walz signal to you as far as her position on the Israel-Gaza conflict?

First, we’re really relieved that [Pennsylvania Gov. Josh] Shapiro wasn't the pick. He's a former [Israel Defense Forces] volunteer, and beyond that, had taken some really hard lines against the First Amendment with protesters and student protesters who wanted their voices heard.

Gov. Walz has been a big supporter of Israel, [but] he also had some nice things to say about the "uncommitted" movement, about these are people who are a part of the party, and they also deserve to be heard.

I’ve worked with Gov. Walz to pass some really good legislation. We passed the menstrual equity bill, which got tampons in all public schools. Minnesota passed a bill that would eliminate the statute of limitations for reporting sexual violence and passed a really strong hate crime bill that would allow groups to track hate crimes in our communities and bring it back to the Minnesota Department of Human Rights.

These are bills that maybe in the beginning were hard for him, but he was willing to move on these.

So to me Walz is a movable target. I think that we can elicit some more wins from him.

So there is a scenario where you could work through Walz to get to Harris?

It's possible.

I also don't think he is, like, the actual target.

I think it's Harris who needs to be moved. And I don't think any of that can happen without showing her she could lose in November without this big coalition. I think Minnesota is more on the map now than it ever has been in my lifetime, which is exciting for me.

Donald Trump had his eyes set on flipping Minnesota , campaigning there earlier in May, obviously before the shake-up atop the Democratic ticket. Does the Walz pick keep the state squarely in the Democrats’ column?

I was grateful because this is a pick that's going to get folks excited, especially Gen Z voters who are saying Tim Walz has "big dad energy."

But simultaneously, I’m seeing this as an opportunity to engage the Democrats who, like myself, have been a part of the party, who are also accountable to community, who are also saying that they don't seem like they've been heard. And who are feeling like they are willing to leave this party because their values are not being represented — and it's because of this genocide.

We're pushing for Harris to realize that, yes, while Walz is a great pick, he's not going to push her over the edge. Especially with folks who don't know about his record, who are really only waiting to hear about an end to the genocide and are not going to give a damn about anything else.

Voters are feeling really apathetic at this moment. That’s why they’ll be showing up in the tens of thousands to protest at the DNC because there's no protest vote option on the convention floor right now.

So being one of 30 “uncommitted” delegates at the DNC, how do you get the Harris campaign to set a meeting with organizers and move her on this issue?

We cannot win against Donald Trump if we don't have all the uncommitted voters and all the people who are truly on the fence right now. If we do not have a cease-fire and arms embargo promise from Vice President Harris, come November, I am sure that we will lose.

As a Muslim woman, who wears a hijab, I have the most to lose from a Trump presidency. So I'm saying this from a self-preservation standpoint — I know that this is the only way we can save the soul of our party.

Everything I've seen has been like, “There are great vibes around her campaign. People are so excited. We're getting millions in the bank.” That is not what can win an election. What wins an election is people actually showing up to the polls.

So, I am excited to meet other delegates next week and hear about their plans to work for a cease-fire within their states because I really think there are more people who are for a cease-fire than folks would like to admit. I'm trying to be like a bridge between the community and this campaign.

My job is to make Harris a better candidate and help to stop this genocide any way that I can.