Elgin Nelson
As a pivotal election season kicks into high gear, the Biden administration faces the challenge of addressing failed promises toward the Black community, with recent polls suggesting that Biden is losing crucial support from the same demographic that voted him into office four years ago.
In a recent poll, Biden clings on to the support of a mere 63% of Black voters, a stark decline from the 87% he had back in 2020, suggesting that Black voters are abandoning the current president.
Former President Donald Trump now commands the Latino vote with 39% to Biden’s 34% and is also swaying a younger generation, usually at odds with the GOP, with a staggering lead at 37% to Biden’s 33%.
“While Biden likes to say inflation is down, I’m not feeling it. I’m part of the younger generation, and he hasn’t done enough there— I’m certainly not getting the message of what more will be done. I think everyone should consider their options for November,” Landon Conners, an independent Orange County resident said.
“On one hand, I’m undecided because of his age. The [Democrats] need control of the Senate just in case Biden takes a nap and never wakes up. Also, Kamala Harris doesn’t have an agenda or backing. She simply has no power,” a source told L.A. Focus.
“On the other hand, I think Joe has been sensitive to the needs of the black community, relatively speaking. So the alternative to Joe Biden is not an answer for us, particularly with Donald Trump in the race.”
African Americans’ worries, however, continue to mount because of what most assume to be the Biden campaign’s underinvestment in Black America. However, the Biden administration still touts its significant investments, including nearly $70 billion in federal contracts awarded to small, disadvantaged businesses in 2022.
“The data shows that the historic public investments that make up the Biden-Harris Administration’s economic agenda in critical sectors for future growth, resiliency, and security are beginning to come to fruition,” White House officials said.
Additionally, $12 billion was allocated to community lenders to expand access to capital and resources for often sidelined entrepreneurs. The U.S. Department of Treasury estimated that those investments in community lenders would net nearly $80 billion to Black communities over the next decade.
Still, Biden’s re-election campaign is facing a stall among Black media, recently, with Charlamagne Tha God calling out the current administration, saying that he felt ‘burned’ and regrets backing the Biden-Harris campaign in 2020.
“I’ve learned my lesson from doing that,” Charlamagne said. “Once they got in the White House, she kind of disappeared. The popular radio host endorsed Biden in his 2020 campaign solely because of Kamla Harris. “I’m not necessarily voting for Joe Biden— I’m voting for Sen. Kamala Harris,” he said.
Terrance Woodbury, CEO of a Democratic-aligned polling firm, whose work focuses on Black Americans who are cynical about voting, said “When I sit in focus groups with young Black voters and ask what [Democrats have] done to make their lives better, they’re hard pressed to come up with an answer. That’s the communication challenge that we have a year to overcome.”