Vice President Kamala Harris has worked to shore up support from black voters in recent weeks, as a new poll outlines her shortcomings with younger voters in that demographic.
A Howard University Initiative on Public Opinion, conducted from Oct. 2-8, shows Harris leads former President Donald Trump, 84%-8%, with black voters across the key battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. In 2020, President Joe Biden won black voters, 92%-8% nationwide, over Trump, according to Pew Research Center.
The Harris campaign has recently emphasized courting black voters, specifically men, as polls indicate problems for her campaign with black men and men broadly.
In the Howard University survey, Harris performs the worst with black men under 50 years old. With that group, Harris holds a 68%-21% lead over Trump, while with black men over 50 years old, Harris leads Trump, 84%-9%, according to NBC News. With black women, Harris holds an 81%-7% lead with voters under 50 years old and a 90%-3% lead with voters over 50 years old.
Harris’s margins with black men, a 59% lead over Trump, and black women, an 81% lead over Trump, are behind Biden’s 2020 margins, according to Pew Research Center, when he won black men over Trump by 75% and black women over Trump by 90%.
A report from the New York Times earlier this week suggested Democrats may have miscalculated what issues black voters prioritize, with polling suggesting the economy and other policy matters are listed higher than race.
Trump’s pitch to black voters has largely been focused on economic policy and crime, while Harris has targeted black voters with various economic proposals and by having former President Barack Obama campaign for her.
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Earlier this week, Harris participated in a radio town hall with Charlamagne Tha God, host of The Breakfast Club, along with a brief interview, which aired during the BET Hip Hop Awards.
If elected on Nov. 5, Harris would become the first female and second black president.