President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will launch their national Black voter outreach program with a rally in Philadelphia on Wednesday, as they look to shore up softening support among the critical constituency in Pennsylvania, a key 2024 battleground state, the campaign said.
Biden and Harris plan to speak at Girard College, a majority Black boarding school for students grades 1-12 who come from financially limited households. They will be joined there by the school’s students and their families, and by Black leaders, including Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, members of Congress, mayors, HBCU presidents, and union and advocacy group leaders, the campaign said.
The outreach program, which they’re calling Black Voters for Biden-Harris, will be coupled with an eight-figure investment, but the campaign did not provide ABC News with a specific dollar amount.
The campaign said it “believes that Black voters deserve to hear from Team Biden-Harris, and they deserve to have their vote earned, not assumed.”
President Joe Biden, with Vice President Kamala Harris, announces the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, Sept. 22, 2023.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images, FILE
A recent ABC News/Ipsos poll found Biden’s support among Black voters down by double digits from his share of the vote in 2020, with 74% saying they currently back the president compared to 87% who said they voted for him is the last election.
Former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, has made attempts to directly court Black voters. He held a rally in the heavily Black and Brown South Bronx, New York, last week, had pre-planned photo ops at fast food restaurants, and has suggested his criminal indictment will help him connect to Black voters — something Biden’s team called “blatantly racist” earlier this year.
“While we are busy putting in the work to earn Black America’s support — Donald Trump continues to show just how ignorant he is,” Biden’s principal deputy campaign director Quentin Fulks said in a statement. “Hosting janky rap concerts to hide the fact that he lacks the resources and competence to genuinely engage our community.”
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In recent days, the Biden campaign released an ad on TV and radio in major cities in battleground states hitting Trump for “disrespecting Black folk” to counter the former president’s efforts to make inroads with Black voters.
President Joe Biden speaks at the Morehouse College Commencement on May 19, 2024 in Atlanta.
Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images, FILE
Biden and Harris will be introduced by Lina Mayen, a first-generation Sudanese American and out-of-state student at Temple University crushed by the cost of higher education, and Robert N.C. Nix III, a small business owner whose family owns an airport concessions business that struggled during the pandemic, the campaign said.
After the Philly rally, Biden will visit a local Black-owned business for an organizing event with the Black Chamber of Commerce, the campaign said. There will also be a phone banking event later in the day featuring Rep. Barbara Lee, it added.
The campaign’s Black outreach will continue into the weekend, they said, with events in battleground states, including Black church engagement in Arizona, barber shop and hair salon events in Michigan, and a block party-style celebration in Nevada. And over the summer, the campaign said it will partner with civic organizations to put on voter education and registration drives,
This follows a multi-day effort by Biden last week to outreach to Black voters, attending a Detroit NAACP dinner, announcing grants to further desegregate magnet schools on the landmark Brown v. Board case’s anniversary, taking formal initial steps to reschedule marijuana, and delivering the commencement address at Morehouse College.
As the 2022 midterm elections approach, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are taking steps to bolster support among Black voters, a crucial demographic that played a key role in their 2020 election victory. Recent polls have shown a decline in support among Black voters for the Democratic Party, prompting Biden and Harris to introduce a new outreach program aimed at engaging and mobilizing Black voters.
The program, which will be spearheaded by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and various grassroots organizations, will focus on addressing the concerns and priorities of Black voters, including economic inequality, criminal justice reform, healthcare access, and voting rights. The goal is to build stronger relationships with Black communities and ensure that their voices are heard and represented in the political process.
One of the key components of the outreach program will be targeted messaging and outreach efforts in key battleground states with large Black populations, such as Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The Biden-Harris administration is also planning to hold town hall meetings, community events, and voter registration drives to engage with Black voters on a more personal level.
In addition to outreach efforts, the program will also include initiatives to address systemic barriers to voting that disproportionately affect Black communities, such as voter suppression laws and gerrymandering. Biden and Harris have been vocal advocates for voting rights legislation, including the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which aim to protect and expand access to the ballot box for all Americans.
The declining support among Black voters for the Democratic Party is a concerning trend that could have significant implications for future elections. By launching this new outreach program, Biden and Harris are demonstrating their commitment to building a diverse and inclusive coalition of supporters and ensuring that Black voices are heard and valued in the political process.
As the midterm elections draw closer, it will be crucial for Biden, Harris, and the Democratic Party to continue engaging with Black voters and addressing their concerns in order to strengthen support and secure electoral victories. The success of this outreach program could have far-reaching implications for the future of American politics and the fight for racial justice and equality.
