Black Voters Undecided About Biden Now Willing To Hear Out Kamala Harris

What else does she need to do to gain Black voter support?

Black voters who were on the fence about voting for President Joe Biden in November 2024 are now hopeful that Vice President Kamala Harris will win them over, NBC News reports.

A poll showed Harris was on the right track to beat Trump among Black voters compared to Biden, even before she was selected as a nominee. One voter from Boston admitted that he was reluctant to vote for Biden in 2020, but after his disastrous performance in the June 2024 debate against Trump, Jason Amos decided to leave the Biden train.

“It just became very clear to me that this is not a tenable solution for taking on Trump,” Amos told NBC News. “I felt like this was really the only clear way forward.”

Amos said he was glad to see Biden pass the torch, so to speak. Thomishia Booker shared similar hope for her Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority sister but still isn’t all the way sold. The 39-year-old children’s book author is still concerned on where Harris stands on specific issues.

“It definitely feels like a better choice, but that doesn’t mean it’s a perfect choice,” Booker said. “I wonder what her thoughts and views, and perspectives on Palestine and other issues are. She’s been the right hand to the president, so we need to hear where she is and make sure we’re holding her accountable.”

Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict played a massive role in a decrease in Black voter support. Rising inflation was also listed as a reason for concern. Black voters threatened to shift their support toward other alternatives, like independent candidates.

According to the Associated Press, voters are concerned that Harris’ race will be her demise in the poll booth. “People really don’t like women, especially Black women,” Mary Jameson of Georgia said. “If a white woman can’t win, how can a Black woman win?”

A poll from AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research revealed that only 3 in 10 Americans feel skepticism about Harris being in the Oval Office. However, nearly 6 in 10 Democrats believe Harris would succeed as president.

Younger voters are excited about Harris’s appointment, highlighting her background as an HBCU student and her age.

“I wasn’t super excited about Biden, and this could be a fresh slate. Since she’s younger than Biden, I think she can relate more to younger generations, as well as older generations,” Macayla Jones, 24, told NBC News. “I’ve seen Kamala interact with influencers I follow on social media and being featured on podcasts. I’m not saying you need that to be president, but I think that she maybe has a better grasp of what my generation might want policywise.”

Black-centered groups like BlackPAC and Win For Black Women have quickly come together to support Harris and the Democratic Party. During a ZOOM call on July 21, more than 40,000 Black women, including leading political leaders, raised over $1 million for the Harris campaign.

BlackPAC’s executive director, Adrianne Shropshire, feels the lack of support stemmed from a lack of information and hope, but Harris’s candidacy feels inspirational.

“Folks are starting to tune in now more to the election overall. Folks are starting to learn more about the accomplishments of the Biden-Harris administration,” Shropshire said. “People feel like, ‘OK, we have something aspirational.’ There’s something we can hold on to. We know we’re going to vote against Donald Trump, and this is something we can really grab onto.”