The news that President Joe Biden will seek re-election has many curious about how well he will perform among African American voters.
According to the results of a recent poll conducted by TheGrio and KFF, Black people had a positive opinion of both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
There remains some debate among Black Americans about whether or not they will support Biden for president in 2024.
According to the results of the poll of 1,000 Black voters who were registered between August 24, 2022, and September 5, 2022, 69% of respondents were pleased with Biden’s performance.
When asked whether the Democrats should select someone other than Biden in the next presidential election, 58% of Black voters answered that they would rather see another candidate run than Biden.
Additionally, the results of the survey suggested that an astounding 70% of Black voters would cast their ballots for Harris if she were to run for president, revealing the possibility that African Americans would offer more support to Harris than Biden.
This is a pivotal moment in our history,” said Harris.
“For two years we have made transformational investments to build a nation in which everyone can be safe and healthy, find a good job, and retire with dignity. The Republicans running for President want to take our country backwards. We will not let that happen. Just like we did in 2020, we must come together to fight for our democracy, continue to make progress, and make sure all Americans can get ahead and thrive.
“Joe and I look forward to finishing the job, winning this battle for the soul of the nation, and serving the American people for four more years in the White House.”
Somebody other than Biden?
There remains a greater degree of disagreement among Black voters who identify as Democrats or who lean toward the party. The poll reveals a consensus among respondents (49%) that the party ought to put forward Biden as its candidate for another term.
The remaining half of voters have indicated that they would want the Democrats to select a different candidate for president in 2024. Even among Black voters, there’s a wide range of viewpoints about the question of whether Biden should be the nominee.
Those under the age of 50 and those who lean Democratic are more likely to seek a different candidate than those over the age of 50 who want Biden to run for a second term. This is especially true of Black Democrats.
Fifty-seven percent of Black Democrats and Democrats-at-heart aged 50 and over want Biden as the nominee, however only 42% of all Democrats and Democrats-at-heart want the party to choose someone else.
Meanwhile, the Republican Party has struggled to win Black voters, and the poll shows that this pattern hasn’t changed.
The anger and obstruction that Republicans have shown toward Barack Obama throughout the years, in addition to their resistance to a voting rights law in Congress, make gaining the Black vote an uphill battle for the GOP.
By identifying themselves with Christian nationalists and organizations with roots to white supremacy, some Republicans have made it impossible to gain the support of Black voters.
The track record that Biden has on racial issues has also been debated in the Black community.
His efforts to pass a comprehensive voting rights package and reduce gun violence have been unsuccessful, but he has honored campaign vows to select a Black woman as his vice president and appoint one to the Supreme Court.
Additionally, Biden has fulfilled his promise to appoint a Black woman to the Supreme Court.
Biden also must overcome the problems caused by some of his supporters privately and publicly bashing Harris, an issue that has alienated some Black voters.
Four years after announcing his campaign for the 2020 election that finally resulted in the defeat of the criminally indicted and twice-impeached Donald Trump, Biden again seeks to beat back a run by the MAGA leader.
Reportedly, Biden’s most prominent supporters were invited to a financial summit in Washington, D.C, in the days running up to his planned announcement, which kicked off a wild race to stock the president’s war chest.
The meeting last Friday, was viewed as an important first step in a campaign that is going to try its best to fly under the radar for at least one year.
