Concern is apparently growing among the Democratic party that President Joe Biden is losing strength with African American and Hispanic voters.
“The polls are not showing Biden getting the percentage of the vote of African Americans and Hispanics that he got last time,” Ron Faucheaux, political analyst and publisher of Lunchtime Politics, told WWL’s Newell Normand. “Now that’s particularly important because the African American vote is generally voting for Democratic candidates at the national level, to about 90 percent. When you’ve got 13 percent of the electorate voting, 90 percent for your candidate, that’s a very big political base.”
During the last election, Biden got 65% of the Hispanic vote and almost 90% of the vote from African Americans.
“The latest polls are showing Biden getting somewhere in the 70s among Black voters, which is anywhere between 12 and 15, 16 percent short of what he got last time,” Faucheaux said. “And even worse for him is that the polls are showing him getting in the mid-40s among Hispanic voters, which is 20 percent less than he got last time.”
Faucheaux said there’s worry that the hardcore Democratic base won’t be there for Biden the way it was four years ago, which will lead to low voter turnout.
“Many people are not seeing the movement from Biden to [former President Donald] Trump among African American voters that I think some Republicans hope will happen. But there is movement from Biden to Trump among Hispanic voters,” he said.
“When it comes down to it, in a close election, everything matters. Every vote matters, and if the Democratic base of African American and Hispanic voters don’t turn out to the extent that they did last time, that creates a real problem for Democrats nationwide and for Biden’s campaign,” Faucheaux added. “Nothing seems to be improving Biden’s position and if your base isn’t there to the extent that you need it to be, then you’ve got a big problem.”
Faucheaux pointed out that Biden and Trump are the two oldest candidates in American history running for president, which means the candidate for vice president may carry more weight in this election than most. While Trump has yet to announce his running mate, Faucheaux said Biden is taking a gamble with Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Kamala Harris is not well thought of by voters across the country,” he said. “Most voters do not think she is prepared or equipped to be president and even though Democrats aren’t going to tell pollsters that, many of them tell one another that they don’t believe she’s prepared to be president and wish she wasn’t on the ticket.”