Biden wins Michigan primary despite Gaza protest vote as Trump underperforms: Live

Nikki Haley vows to stay in Republican primary race

President Joe Biden and his Republican predecessor Donald Trump both won their respective Michigan primaries on Tuesday, further cementing the likelihood of an unpopular rematch between the 2020 candidates come November.

But despite Mr Biden’s comfortable victory, Democrats will have been closely watching the extent of the “uncommitted” vote on Michigan ballot papers, as the Great Lakes State became a focal point for discontent among the same voters who propelled the president to victory four years ago, with his support for Israel’s actions in Gaza a principle cause of disquiet among many.

The number of “uncommitted” votes has now passed 100,000, far surpassing a goal set by the organisers of this year’s protest effort and accounting for around 13.3 per cent of the total.

Despite underperforming, Mr Trump once again soared to victory over former UN ambassador Nikki Haley in the GOP contest.

His challenger has insisted on staying in the contest for Super Tuesday on 5 March, even after losing in her home state of South Carolina and Saturday and the support of the imporant Charles Koch-led conservative donor movement.

In advance of Tuesday’s Democratic primary in Michigan, organisers mounted a campaign to urge local residents to consider entering an “uncommitted” vote, rather than simply backing Joe Biden, in order to register their opposition to the White House’s handling of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The movement, co-ordinated by a number of groups including Listen To Michigan, said that its pleas for the Biden administration to do more to end the devastation in Gaza has “fallen on deaf ears”.

“Frustrated with the lack of response, we are now turning to a