Despite Black America’s historically strong support for the Democratic Party, President Biden is struggling to gain traction with black voters. The weakening support has the Biden camp directly reaching out to black voters in key swing states.
Black voters have very little to show for their unwavering faith in the Democratic Party. Despite promises of change and progress, Biden has not delivered any significant policy achievements that directly impact black voters. Key issues such as criminal justice reforms, policing reforms, economic investments in black communities, and economic progress for black Americans remain largely unaddressed. If addressed at all, the issues Biden championed to black voters in 2020 have been put behind other democratic constituency priorities such as the LGBTQ, climate justice, and left leaning constitutes that support open borders and less hawkish immigration.
The lack of attention to the specific needs of black Americans has left many feeling overlooked and neglected by the Biden administration. Polls, like the Washington Post poll, show Biden suffering from a lack of enthusiasm for his administration policies.
One of the main reasons for this disconnect is Biden’s tendency to take black support for granted. While he relies on black voters during elections, he does not actively engage or prioritize their needs during his governance. There is a perception among many black Americans that Biden does not genuinely care about their concerns outside of election time. As a result, Biden weakness in multiple polls show Biden not necessarily losing black voters to Trump but a deep lack of enthusiasm to support him in 2024.
Having Kamala Harris as his Vice-President isn’t necessarily helping him. In fact, you could argue it’s hurting him. Harris is even more unpopular among black voters than Biden. Source: Washington Post.
Biden’s illegal immigration policy is exacerbating the situation. The influx of illegal immigrants into urban cities with higher concentrations of black voters is having an inflationary impact. Republican Governors, in response to Biden’s policies, have been sending illegal immigrants to cities like Chicago, New York, Boston, Philadelphia and other urban areas, exacerbating existing pressures on housing, schools, social services, and city budgets. This influx, coupled with the provision of benefits such as NYC $1,400 monthly debit cards, has been perceived as offensive to many black Americans who see non-Americans receive substantial benefits when they are left paying for them, seeing their costs increase, and no relief in sight. Voters are blaming the Biden administration.
The inflation in these areas is worsening compared to other parts of the country, where inflation is already high. This disparity further alienates black voters and adds to the growing disillusionment with the Biden administration. As a result, Biden’s support among black voters is waning, and many are beginning to question their allegiance to the Democratic Party. Without meaningful and tangible progress on issues that directly affect black communities, Biden risks losing the support of a crucial voting bloc that has long been a stronghold for the Democratic Party. Perhaps, he won’t lose them to Trump but black voters staying home or voting third party could hurt Biden in 2024.