Oct 16, 2024 Story by: Editor
Support for U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris among likely Black voters has risen following President Joe Biden’s decision to step down from the race, while former Republican President Donald Trump has also seen a boost in support from this key voting bloc as the November presidential election nears.
A poll released Saturday by The New York Times and Siena College revealed that nearly 80% of likely Black voters would back Harris if the election were held today, with Trump as the alternative. Harris secured 78% support in the poll, slightly higher than Biden’s 74% before he exited the race. In contrast, Biden had received 90% support from Black voters during the 2020 election.
The survey also showed that 17% of Black voters would choose Trump, marking a 6-point increase compared to four years ago. About 7% of respondents either remained undecided or refused to answer. Additionally, 55% of likely Black voters indicated they were “almost certain” to vote, while 31% said they were “very likely,” and 7% described themselves as “somewhat likely.” Only 1% stated they were “not very likely” to vote, and 4% said they were “not at all likely.”
Harris’s candidacy has sparked enthusiasm among younger Black voters. A September poll conducted by The Washington Post and Ipsos, surveying 1,083 Black Americans, found that 69% were “absolutely certain” they would vote in November, up from 62% in April when Biden was still in the race.
Black voters in key battleground states also show strong support for Harris over Trump. A Howard Initiative on Public Opinion survey from last month reported that 78% of registered Black voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin would vote for Harris if the election were held today.
However, a separate recent poll from The New York Times and Siena College showed Trump leading Harris among likely male voters nationwide, with 51% supporting Trump and 40% backing Harris.
Democratic strategists have expressed concerns that Harris needs to improve her standing among Black and Latino men to defeat Trump, who has made gains with both groups. Former President Barack Obama spoke to Black male voters in support of Harris at a rally in Pennsylvania earlier this week, though some criticized his remarks.
“We have not yet seen the same kind of energy and turnout in all corners of our neighborhoods and communities as we saw when I was running,” Obama said, referring to “reports I’m getting from campaigns and communities.”
The latest Times/Siena poll was conducted from September 29 to October 6 among 589 Black voters, including 548 who identify as Black alone and 41 who identify as Black in combination with another race or ethnicity. The margin of error for the full sample is 5.6 percentage points. Source: Associated Press of Pakistan
