National exit polls show Vice President Kamala Harris received 78% of Black men’s vote for the 2024 general election. However, some pollsters say the number should’ve been more. While Black men overwhelmingly supported Harris, she lost a lot of ground with this critical voting bloc that has supported Democrats for decades.
In 2023, an NBC News poll revealed that at least 20% of Black men would support Donald Trump over President Joe Biden. Despite Democrats’ efforts to excite its base, mainly pushing Biden to the side and Harris at the top of the ticket, national exit polls reigned true: Democrats are losing the support of Black men. For some perspective, Black men supported Biden in 2020 by 80%.
But the data is no surprise for Alvin Tillery, a professor of political science at Northwestern University and the founder of the super PAC Alliance For Black Equality. He says Harris’ campaign failed to engage Black men meaningfully.
“She needed 83-84% of the Black male vote,” he told NBC News, adding, “They were warned repeatedly throughout the year that they were not doing enough with the Black male segment.”
In mid-October, Harris’s campaign released an “Opportunity Agenda for Black Men.” The plan outlined what her administration would do for that voting bloc, which included opportunities for Black entrepreneurs, health equity priorities, and creating access to jobs regardless of degree-holding status.
Polls suggest that the initiative boosted her support by 10%, but it wasn’t enough to get her to the 80% threshold.
“It was great to see her energy in the last two weeks, but it needed to come earlier and be more targeted with digital ad spending,” Tillery added.
Where Do Black Male Voters Go From Here?
Despite the criticism Black male voters have received for either not voting in the 2024 election or supporting a candidate that has made disparaging comments about Black people, even supporting controversial policies such as “Stop and Frisk” and giving police officers complete immunity, Black men did nothing wrong in the election. A majority of them overwhelmingly supported Harris. However, it is time for Democrats to take this decrease in support seriously.
“For decades, Black men have been the backbone of progressive causes, yet there’s an increasing sense among
many that their unique concerns are sidelined,” said Darius Jones, founder of the National Empowerment Black Action Fund. “This is a pivotal moment where political leadership should reflect on not just the support they have, but the support they risk losing.”RELATED CONTENT: Deaf Black Man With Cerebral Palsy ‘Attacked’ By Phoenix Police Officers