Trump, Harris are courting the Black male vote — here’s what those voters have to say

Quaadir Bey has seen the landscape shift, even if slightly, when it comes to how Black men view politics.

Casting a vote in favor of a Democratic candidate isn’t a guarantee, he said.

“It’s Black men looking for other options that exist within the Republican Party,” said Bey, 27, civic coordinator at 1Hood Media, a group whose goal is addressing social justice issues in the Black community.

That sentiment was evident on a recent Thursday at a Lawrenceville community center where a group of Black men gathered to talk politics. The conversation flowed with diverse perspectives, reflecting the array of each man’s experiences and views — and illustrating the complicated landscape politicians must traverse to secure support from Black voters.

Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris have made no secret about their intent to court Black voters ahead of November’s presidential election. In what figures to be a close race, especially in swing states such as Pennsylvania and Georgia, Black voters could hold significant sway in the outcome.

Black men, in particular, make up a demographic that politicians view as persuadable but whose experiences and political preferences often go unaddressed in public debate.

Black male voters are traditionally one of the most consistently Democratic-leaning demographics in the nation. This year, however, both major parties view Black men as attainable voters. Whether Black men turn out in high numbers and to what degree they maintain traditional support for Democratic candidates might prove decisive in November.

One in four Black males younger than 50 said they would support Trump in November, according to an NAACP poll released last week. The majority of Black voters surveyed, however, still said they support Harris.

Tim Stevens, chairman and CEO of the Black Political Empowerment Project, said many Black men have been inspired by the current election cycle and the galvanizing effect of Harris’ candidacy.

“Regardless of which side of the political spectrum they’re on, they have to believe this is a crucial, critical national election,” Stevens said.

Some men at the table that day in Lawrenceville spoke of fear, others of religion, family, reparations and the divide between the haves and have-nots. They all focused on Black prosperity.

Although most said they support Harris, not everyone did.

Some Black men feel left behind by the Democratic Party, Bey said, because of empty promises and their concerns not being addressed. He said, while there is outreach to Black men, even if it doesn’t show up in policy, “a lot of Black men find that more attractive than what they might see in the Democratic Party,” he said, regarding the Republican Party reaching out to Black men.

A good friend of his is one such example, he said.

“My man, he’s a Republican. Goes hard for Trump,” Bey said.

Faces in the crowd

Miles Jones, 29, a Georgia native who lives in Pittsburgh’s East Allegheny neighborhood, considers himself somewhat liberal and strives to be an independent thinker. He researches candidates and reviews their policies to see if they align with his views. He acknowledged voting is a deeply personal process.

But Jones indicated feeling a disconnect.

“I’ve never really felt seen and heard as a voter,” he said.

He noted that, while politicians make promises, there are usually many factors that prevent those promises from becoming a reality. Although the past few candidates he voted for were elected, the reasons he supported them were not ultimately acted upon. Issues important to him are justice reform and decreasing the jailing of adolescents, transparency about how taxes are being used, improvements to the education system and student loan forgiveness.

Lemont Boyd, a 34-year-old contractor from Mon View Heights housing complex in West Mifflin, said he supports Trump but doesn’t plan to vote in November because he does not believe doing so will change his circumstances.

He said he believes Trump is a strong businessman who helped lower Black unemployment and whose leadership would benefit the country. Boyd said he wasn’t offended by Trump’s comments about “Black jobs” and contrasted that with what he sees as Harris’ leniency on border control.

“Certain men see that change of the Republican Party as more welcoming, especially Black and Latino men and people living in lower-income areas,” he said.

Boyd is the type of voter Trump is trying to persuade to show up at the polls Nov. 5.

Voters such as Will Thompkins, on the other hand, are who Harris is counting on.

“Sister Kamala will get my vote, period,” said Thompkins, 74, a veteran and lifelong Pittsburgh resident. “You know what you’re going to get from Trump. We know what we’re getting if he gets in. There is no discrepancy in choice.”

However, Thompkins said Harris has work to do to win over Black male voters.

“There’s a whole bunch of brothers who are intimidated by women, women in control. That’s a reality, unfortunately,” Thompkins said.

Getting out the vote

W. Mondale Robinson, founder of The Black Male Voter Project and mayor of Enfield, N.C., was in Pittsburgh during the first week of September canvassing the streets to engage with Black male voters.

According to Robinson, there is a lot of work to be done in Pennsylvania, despite the state having a relatively strong Black male voter turnout compared with other battleground states.

In Allegheny County, there are about 40,000 Black men registered to vote, the second largest number in the state after Philadelphia’s 166,000 registered Black male voters. Statewide, Pennsylvania has about 299,000 Black men registered to vote, according to Robinson.

Of that total, 82,000 Black men, or 27%, are considered “super voters,” meaning they have voted in all four of the past federal elections. However, about 44% — or 127,000 Black men — have voted in only one or none of the past four federal elections.

“Meaning Black men in Pennsylvania are just as likely to have not voted as they are to have voted,” Robinson said.

According to Robinson’s research, about 19,000 Black men in Pennsylvania are eligible to vote but are not registered.

The Pennsylvania Department of State could not confirm Robinson’s statistics because gender is an optional field for voter registration in the state and is not selected on every application.

Voting advocacy

Marcus Gaines-Cherry, 33, an attorney from Pittsburgh, called the Black male vote the “missing entity.”

“If you can grab it, you can control the vote,” he said.

If a candidate needs swing votes, Gaines-Cherry said, “the target for those votes becomes Black men.”

Carlton Heywood, 63, a veteran from the North Side, discussed the sacrifices Black men and women have made so Black people could have a seat at the table. He warned a lack of voting makes way for laws that could harm the community.

“Slavery was legal. Jim Crow was legal. Voting creates at least the opportunity to believe that somewhere down the line, equity might be possible,” said Heywood, who supports Harris.

An avid fisherman, he often launches his boat in Butler County, where he said he occasionally is questioned about his boat ownership. He also expressed concern about the vitriol he says often comes from Trump supporters.

“I’ve never felt so much fear from the hostility,” Heywood said. “Vote for who you want, but why the hostility? Why do I have to see ‘F-Biden’ signs?”

He said he’ll wear his veteran apparel to disarm people, believing respect for a veteran will supersede political beliefs.

Independent voter Brandon Davis, 31, is community space coordinator at Culture Champion Creative, a group dedicated to advocacy to uplift the Black community. He emphasized the importance of Black involvement in politics.

“It’s not something distant. It’s right here,” he said, framing this election as a contrast between the haves and have-nots.

Understanding the history of the struggle of Black people is crucial, Thompkins said.

“Becoming literate was unacceptable. Owning property was unacceptable. Democracy speaks to capitalism and power,” Thompkins said. “We need to speak truth to power, and that’s why I vote.”

Issues of importance

Most of the Black men interviewed by TribLive said having more economic opportunities is important to them.

Stevens, of B-PEP, said he particularly is passionate about the employment of Black people at all levels and the need for promotions, arguing part of the violence in the Black community stems from the lack of employment opportunities for Black men. He emphasized people should vote based on their interests rather than party affiliation.

Boyd, the contractor from West Mifflin, talked about what he called a limited job market and racism that Black men face in Pittsburgh’s construction field.

Roy Blankenship Jr., a 48-year-old community advocate in Harrisburg, was in town for a presidential debate watch party at the Kingsley Association last week. He said, for many young Black men, not voting is less a choice and more a result of difficult life circumstances. He recently helped a homeless 19-year-old with two children navigate the complex process of getting a Social Security card, which required tracking down an old school ID.

Blankenship highlighted the ongoing impact of mass incarceration on Black men, who then struggle to find jobs, and contrasted that with Trump who, despite being convicted of felony offenses, is able to run for president.

According to the 2020 census, there are about 70,000 Black people in Pittsburgh, accounting for 20% of the population. However, Black people make up 67% of the jail population in Allegheny County. Across the United States, Black people make up 38.8% of the federal prison population, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, while accounting for 14.4% of the national population.

A 2023 study found Black men who had been incarcerated have an unemployment rate of 35.2%, according to the Employment of Justice-Involved Persons. Formerly incarcerated Black women have an unemployment rate of 43.6%.

“This election is not just any old election,” Stevens said. “If people remember nothing else about why they have to vote for president, it’s the president’s power to nominate Supreme Court justices.”

Historically, Supreme Court decisions have had large impacts on Black Americans, from civil rights, desegregation and interracial marriage to police reform.

Stevens also noted that elections often are decided by a small margin.

“So our vote does matter,” he said. “We need to uplift the candidate who will make sure Black people are not forgotten.”