Fed-up Black voters may cost Biden the 2024 election due to excessive pandering.

Biden’s Support Among ⁣Black Voters Wanes as Democrats Struggle to Deliver

Bahta⁤ Mekonnen, a 28-year-old U.S. Army captain from the key voting state of Georgia, is among‌ the millions ⁣of ‍black voters who ‍helped deliver President Joe Biden the​ White⁢ House in⁤ 2020.

Three years later,⁢ he ​is one‌ of the voters who Democrats fear could cost Biden a second​ term in 2024.

Disappointed ⁤by what he sees as Democrats’ lurch to⁣ the left, free spending and empty promises, but also turned off by ‍far-right Republicans, Mekonnen⁤ says he sees nothing ‌but bad options at the ballot ⁢box next year.

“What I’m noticing across the⁤ Democratic Party right ⁣now is there’s a lot of pandering to the Black community,”‍ he said. “It seems like they do a⁣ lot ⁣to try to make it seem like they‍ are the party for young ‌Black men or Black men as ⁤a whole, but they don’t back it with anything. They don’t follow ​through.”

Long the most loyal Democratic constituency, ‍black voters played a large​ role in rescuing Biden’s struggling 2020 presidential campaign in the South Carolina primary, and sending him to⁣ the White House with​ Democrats in control of the Senate, thanks ⁤to further success in Georgia.

In return, many black voters expected Biden⁢ and Democrats to push new federal protections against restrictive local voting laws, police‍ and ⁢criminal justice reform, student loan debt relief and economic empowerment.

Many⁢ of those efforts ​have been blocked ⁢by Republicans, leaving Biden to ask voters to‌ let him “finish this job,” with a second term, but with no clear ⁣path to get⁢ these things ​done.

On the other hand, Democrats’ focus on LGBTQ and abortion⁤ rights leaves ‌voters like ‌Mekonnen ⁤feeling alienated.

“I’m⁢ probably getting turned away from the⁤ left, ‌just because the Democrats are turning more left in my books,” he said, adding he wished Democrats spent more time on ⁢the economy.

Polls and ⁣Reuters interviews show younger black voters ⁣and black men of all ages are losing their ‌faith in Democrats, Biden and perhaps even the political process, just three⁢ years after ⁤the U.S.’s biggest protests for racial justice‌ and ⁣civil ⁢rights in a generation.

A New York Times/Siena poll conducted ​last month suggests‍ a 2024 matchup between Biden and Donald Trump would be closer than it was⁣ in 2020, largely because Trump has made ‌”gains among Black, Hispanic, male and low-income voters.”

The vast​ majority⁤ of black⁢ voters, including men, are ⁤still‌ expected to choose Biden​ over a Republican.

But the ‌question for Democrats is whether disillusioned black voters will turn out to the polls in large enough numbers in crucial cities, from Philadelphia to Atlanta, Milwaukee and Detroit to keep Biden in⁢ the White ​House.

“Democrats need to understand that there is a growing population, especially with black men who ⁤are reaching the‌ point of being fed ⁤up with always⁣ being pushed over and looked⁢ over,” said⁢ LeLann Evans, 33, a political campaign manager ⁤who is running as a write-in candidate for Nashville City Council.

Democrats’ failure to secure widespread student loan ⁢relief or legalize marijuana has been disappointing, ⁤Evans‌ said, ‌adding that⁣ Republicans’ more aggressive approach when‌ they have power means they are ‍”actually ‍getting things ⁣done.”

Turnout​ Drops

• Self-identified black Americans make up 14.2 percent of⁤ the U.S. population, or 42.7 million ⁢people, a 30 percent⁣ jump from 2000, Pew Research shows.
• Black voter turnout dropped by nearly⁣ 10 percentage points, from 51.7 percent in⁤ the​ 2018‌ midterm elections to ⁤42 percent⁢ in ⁣2022, according to a Washington Post analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s⁣ survey released earlier this year. White voter turnout slipped by only 1.5 points to ⁤53.4 percent.
• “Black voter turnout was down across the country in 2022. We saw it in the polls, the surveys, the ⁤exit polls and every way you could measure it,” said Michael McDonald, a politics professor at University of​ Florida.
• Some Democrats ⁢have also been ⁣disturbed by‌ recent⁢ polls ⁣showing that ‌ some black voters⁣ are defecting⁣ to Republicans.

Economic Gains?

• Democrats are favored by ⁢black ​ voters ⁣who value ‌abortion‌ rights, voting rights and opposition to racism, says Terrance Woodbury, chief ⁣executive officer at⁣ HIT Strategies.
• But that margin shrinks when it ‌comes to managing the economy.
• “When you get to economic issues ⁣- economic security,​ inflation, job ⁤security – those 50 and 60 ‌point gaps began to shrink to⁣ near parity, where you have young ‌ Black folks saying​ that Republicans are almost as good for them on the economy​ as Democrats are,” Woodbury said.

Julian⁣ Silas, 25, a black ‌ investment research analyst from the Chicago area, said many of his friends and ‌family are ⁢reexamining their politics and questioning just how ‌much the loyalty​ of black​ Americans to the Democratic Party ‍bettered their lives, particularly⁣ their economic standing.

Every four years, Democratic candidates talk ⁣about increasing black wealth and closing the gap between black and white Americans, but ⁣”nothing actually really ‍happens,” Silas said.

“It seems like there’s things that⁢ they talk about that seem good, that I can align ‍with, like student loan debt relief ​or‌ home ownership and all these different​ things, but⁤ maybe sometimes it doesn’t feel like it’s moving⁤ fast enough,”​ Silas‍ said.

The U.S. ‍black ‌ unemployment rate has fallen ⁣to historic lows under Biden, but ⁣hit ⁢a 10-month high in June, driven in large part by black ‍ workers ⁢leaving the labor market.

Black families had 4.4 percent of total household ​wealth in the first​ quarter of ‍2023, Federal Reserve data show, up ‌slightly from 4.3 percent at the⁣ beginning ​of 2020.

The Democratic Party‍ has spent considerable time, money and resources to retain and expand the black⁣ vote, including ⁢mounting registration ​drives in battleground states and ‌recruiting black campaign staff.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the first black person to hold that ⁢position and the highest U.S. black elected ‌official, and Jaime Harrison, the⁣ African-American chairman of the Democratic National Committee, attended this summer’s ⁤Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans and have lavished attention on ‍historically ‌black colleges and universities ⁢and⁢ media⁤ outlets including black radio stations.

Harris spoke⁢ at the annual NAACP gathering on Saturday.

“As we​ head into the 2024 cycle, the ⁢DNC is doubling ⁢down on our commitment⁤ to engaging black voters with meaningful and sustained investments to make sure they know‌ how President Biden and Vice President Harris have delivered for them,” said‌ Tracy King, the ⁢DNC’s director of‌ outreach communications, in an emailed statement.

For some, right now, that’s not enough.

“I’m kind of stuck ‌with Biden until someone else comes along,” said Andre Russell, 47 and from Chicago, who works in education. “As ‍a society⁣ we ‌definitely have to move past the trope ⁤of old white men running everything.”

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and Jarrett Renshaw;⁤ Additional reporting by Jason Lange and Eric ⁢Cox; Editing ⁣by Heather Timmons and Alistair Bell)