Vice President Kamala Harris said Tuesday at a National Association of Black Journalists event in Philadelphia that it’s important to not work from the assumption that “Black men are in anyone’s pocket.”
Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, speaking with a three-journalist panel, was asked about young Black male voters, who may feel left out from the current economy and back her opponent, former President Donald Trump.
The Democratic party is experiencing a decline in support among younger Black men, with one-quarter of them leaning toward Trump, according to a poll released Friday by the NAACP. The overall result showed a 63% favor for Harris over Trump’s 13% among Black voters. However, the gender disparity is noticeable. While support for Harris among Black women remains strong at 67%, it falls to 49% among Black men under 50.
Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris answers questions during a moderated conversation with members of the National Association of Black Journalists hosted by WHYY September 17, 2024, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Getty Images/AFP
Harris said Tuesday that, “Black men are like any other voting group. You’ve got to earn their vote. I’m working to earn the vote, not assuming that I would have it because I’m Black, but because the policies and the perspectives that I have understands what we must do to recognize the needs for all communities.”
She continued, “We came in during the worst unemployment since the Great Depression. We came in at the worst public health epidemic in centuries. We came in after the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War. A lot of it due in large part to the mismanagement of the former President,” Harris said. “We had a lot of work to do to clean up a mess.”
Harris said she and President Joe Biden have created over 16 million new jobs, including over 800,000 manufacturing jobs. The country is also facing its lowest unemployment rate for Black workers “in generations,” Harris said.
The administration has also capped the price of insulin and prescription medications for seniors, “which is important to Black folks who are 60% more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes,” she said. She also touted her work with President Joe Biden to remove medical debt from credit scores.
“Do we have more work to do? Yes,” Harris said. “I do believe that I offer a new generation of leadership for our country that is about in particular turning a page on an era that sadly has shown us attempts by some to insight fear and to create division in our country.”
She discussed her “opportunity economy” plan, including the need for additional housing to “deal with it head on” by employing and engaging the private sector to incentive building new housing.
“I believe there are a lot of opportunities available to the American people if we just see people and understand what they want for themselves and their families and just meet them where they are,” Harris said.
Harris announced a plan where no working family should pay more than 7% of their income for childcare. She said it is currently “too expensive” for the “sandwich generation,” who have to pay for childcare while also taking care of their parents. The Democratic nominee also called for additional support for the home health care and childcare providers.
“It is sadly the state of affairs in our country that working people often have to decide to be able to work or to afford childcare,” Harris said. “It doesn’t actually level out in terms of the expense versus the income.”
What the polls say
A recent Washington Post-Ipsos poll found Harris touting strong support from Black male voters. According to polling by Reuters last week, 26% of Black men under 50 saying they supported Trump.
The survey, conducted early in August prior to the Democratic convention and recent presidential debate, indicates the potential for undecided voters to shift towards Harris in the end.
On Monday, Harris faced a poll from the NAACP suggesting she could face some challenges.
The NAACP poll, conducted in collaboration with Hart Research and HIT Strategies, surveyed Black voters across 12 priority states. While 79% of Black women over 50 said they would vote for her, only 66% of men in the same age group felt the same.
Among younger Black voters, aged 18 to 49, Harris’s support drops further, with just 56% backing her candidacy.
Undecided voters could also pose a challenge. While 59% of respondents overall reported a more favorable view of Harris over the past month, only 14% of undecided voters shared this view, with 25% of undecided voters saying that their opinion of her had worsened.
Earlier this month, however, another poll revealed that Harris is winning support from an overwhelming number of Black voters.
A Suffolk University poll, which surveyed 1,000 likely voters from August 25 to 28, showed Harris leading Trump by 64 points among Black voters (76% to 12%). It found Harris leading Trump among all voters by just over 4 points (47.6% to 43.3%).
Trump’s Appearance with the NABJ
Harris did not attend the NABJ annual convention in July due to scheduling issues that prevented her from being in-person. However, Trump attended and made big headlines.
The appearance had multiple heated exchange between Trump and the moderators. The Republican nominee questioned why Harris “turned Black” while answering a question about whether he believed she was only on the Democratic ticket because of her race.
Trump also claimed that “millions and millions of people” are coming from the border and “taking Black jobs.”
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