Kamala Harris seeks to earn Black men’s vote with new proposals

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Presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris has unveiled new proposals to help build wealth and opportunity for Black men as she seeks to earn their vote in her bid to beat former president Donald Trump on November 5.

The plan includes providing 1 million fully forgivable loans of up to $20,000 to Black entrepreneurs to start a business. It also includes mentorship and training programs for good paying jobs in high-demand industries, regulating cryptocurrency to protect Black men who invest, launching a health initiative to address diseases that disproportionately impact Black men, and legalizing recreational marijuana.

“Black men are like any other voting group. You gotta earn their vote. So, I’m working to earn the vote, not assuming I’m going to have it because I’m Black,” Harris previously told a trio of journalists from the National Association of Black Journalists in September.

Harris unveils more “Opportunity Economy” proposals

Monday’s rollout of the new proposals add to what VP Harris calls an “opportunity economy.” Whereas President Biden focused on manufacturing and large-scale economic growth as part of his “bidenomics,” Harris has instead focused on targeting the economic needs and desires of individual families.

“This agenda is a further realization of Vice President Harris’ Opportunity Economy,” Congressman and Harris-Walz Campaign Co-Chair Cedric Richmond stated.

It’s part of a final effort by Harris to shore up support of the Black vote ahead of November, with a final tour of stops with Black entrepreneurs, community and faith leaders.

Trump’s main pitch to Black voters largely focuses on increasing “Black jobs” and blaming immigration for the decades-long racial and economic disparities. Meanwhile, Harris is putting forward targeted policies she hopes will win back some of the Black men who have appeared to drift toward Trump.

“The contrast couldn’t be more stark in this election: unlike Donald Trump who spent four years trying to make Black Americans’ lives harder and openly shows contempt for our communities, Kamala Harris is committed to the security and prosperity of Black men and families,” Florida Senator Shevrin Jones (SD-34) stated.

Harris courts voters while Obama shames Black men

Notably, polls have shown that a larger percentage of Black men may vote Republican than anytime in recent history, though the vast majority still favor Harris.

According to a recent APNORC poll, roughly 73% of Black voters have a favorable view of Harris compared to 15% Black favorability for Trump.

It’s less support than Democrats normally gain from Black voters, which are the base of the party. With national polls showing Harris has just a razor thin lead over Trump, any dip in support from Black voters, namely Black men, could spell trouble for Democrats and give twice-impeached former president Trump a second term in office.

While Harris has responded by seeking to earn the vote of Black men, surrogates like former President Barack Obama have taken a more paternalistic approach.

“Part of it makes me think that, well, you just aren’t feeling the idea of having a woman as president, and you’re coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for that,” Obama told a room full of Black men at a field office in Pittsburgh last week.

The comments from the first Black U.S. president drew mixed reviews, with swift rebuke from progressives like former Ohio state Senator Nina Turner.

“In both 2008 and 2012, I was proud to be an Ohio delegate for President Barack Obama. So I was shocked to hear what former President Obama had to say while speaking to Black men,” Turner wrote in an op-ed published in Newsweek.

“They shouldn’t be blamed for the Democratic Party’s failures. They should be granted the dignity of voting on their interests as they perceive them like everyone else. And if the Democratic Party is failing to galvanize their support, maybe the Party should ask what it’s doing wrong, rather than blaming Black men,” she wrote.

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Democrats need the Black vote to win

Ultimately, polling from past presidential elections show Democrats have slowly been losing Black voters for decades.

According to the Roper Center for Public Opinion: Barack Obama gained 95% of the Black vote in 2008 and 93% in 2012. Hillary Clinton gained 89% of the Black vote in 2016 and Joe Biden gained 87% in 2020.

It’s unclear whether the dip in support in some polls will translate to a dip in votes for VP Harris, but the issue of losing Black voters, whether male or female, began long before Harris entered the 2024 presidential race.