Kamala Harris is gearing up for the 2024 election amid some mixed signals from Black voters, despite historically strong support from this demographic, as revealed by a recent NAACP poll.
The poll, done in partnership with Hart Research and HIT Strategies, assessed Black voters in 12 key states. Notably, 78 percent of participants expressed similar or heightened enthusiasm for voting compared to Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008.
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If Harris wins, she would become the first female president and only the second Black individual to hold the office, following Obama. Among those polled, 56 percent indicated even greater enthusiasm for the upcoming election.
NAACP CEO Derrick Johnson highlighted the growing excitement among Black voters but cautioned that outreach needs to expand. Although enthusiasm is strong, the poll also identified disparities that could pose challenges for Harris. For example, while 79 percent of Black women over 50 expressed support for her, only 66 percent of Black men in the same age group felt the same way. Among younger voters aged 18 to 49, backing drops to just 56 percent.
Economic concerns emerged as a priority for 40 percent of respondents, while 53 percent emphasized the importance of protecting rights and freedoms. There’s also a concern about undecided voters; even though 59 percent of those surveyed reported a favorable view of Harris recently, only 14 percent of undecided voters felt positively. In fact, 25 percent of them stated their opinion had worsened, underscoring vulnerabilities the Harris campaign must address.
Interestingly, Harris’s current support among Black voters lags behind previous Democratic candidates. A recent Suffolk University poll indicates she’s leading former President Donald Trump by a 64-point margin, a drop from Joe Biden’s 78-point lead in 2020 and Hillary Clinton’s 88-point advantage in 2016.
As razor-thin margins are expected in critical swing states, even a slight decline in Black voter support could be pivotal. Adrianne Shropshire, executive director of BlackPAC, stressed the importance of energizing voter turnout. She noted, “Black voters are well positioned to turn out in historic numbers. But it won’t happen without the right approach—more door knocks, enhanced mail and digital outreach, and countering Trump’s efforts in Black communities.”