Oct 12, 2024 Story by: Editor
Kamala Harris is experiencing notably lower support among Black voters compared to Joe Biden’s performance in the 2020 presidential election, according to a recent New York Times/Siena College poll.
The survey indicates that 78 percent of Black voters intend to vote for Harris in November, while 15 percent support Republican nominee Donald Trump. Although Harris’s backing has increased from 74 percent of Black voters who planned to support Biden before he exited the race in July, it is significantly lower than the 90 percent he garnered when defeating Trump in 2020. If elected, Kamala Harris would make history as the first Black woman to occupy the White House and only the second Black individual overall.
Recent analyses reveal that the 2024 presidential race is highly competitive, with the election analysis website FiveThirtyEight assigning Harris a 54 percent chance of winning, compared to 47 percent for Trump. Additional surveys suggest that Harris is struggling to replicate Biden’s 2020 appeal among non-white voters; a Newsweek analysis indicates she has the backing of 56 percent of Hispanic voters, a slight decrease from Biden’s 59 percent in the previous election.
The New York Times/Siena College poll highlights a significant gender divide among Black voters, showing Harris with a considerable lead among Black women. Among those surveyed, 83 percent of Black women indicated they would support the current vice president, while only 12 percent favored Trump. In contrast, 70 percent of Black men expressed support for Harris, compared to 20 percent for the Republican candidate. The survey, conducted between September 29 and October 5 with 589 Black likely voters, has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.4 points.
Overall, the poll revealed that 82 percent of Black voters hold a favorable view of Harris, while just 15 percent view her unfavorably. Conversely, only 17 percent of Black voters view Trump positively, with 80 percent expressing an unfavorable opinion of him.
When asked which candidate “cares about people like you,” 81 percent of Black voters responded that they believe Harris does, while 8 percent said Trump does. Another 6 percent said neither candidate cares, 2 percent indicated both, and 3 percent were unsure or declined to answer.
Newsweek reached out to the presidential campaigns of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump for comments via email on Saturday outside of regular office hours.
During a campaign visit to Pittsburgh on Thursday, Barack Obama made a direct appeal to Black men, urging their support for Harris. He stated, “My understanding, based on reports I’m getting from campaigns and communities, is that we have not yet seen the same kinds of energy and turnout in all quarters of our neighborhoods and communities as we saw when I was running.”
Obama noted that this apparent lack of enthusiasm seems particularly pronounced among Black men, suggesting, “Part of it makes me think—and I’m speaking to men directly—that you just aren’t feeling the idea of having a woman as president, and you’re coming up with other alternatives and reasons for that.”
He challenged the notion that supporting a candidate with a history of demeaning Black men is a sign of strength, asserting, “That’s not acceptable.”
However, former Ohio State Senator Nina Turner rejected Obama’s remarks during a CNN appearance later that day, asking, “Why are Black men being belittled in ways that no other voting group [is]?” Source: NewsWeek
