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What’s Behind the Issue Some Black Men Have with Kamala Harris?
How Big a Concern Is This In the Election?
This is one of those issues that would take two books to address fully, and that might be enough. The alleged lack of support for Kamala Harris in her bid to become the 47th President of the United States by Black men is mainly imagined, but I’m not saying it has no basis in reality. Kamala Harris has the overwhelming support of Black men. A recent poll from Howard University found that, in swing states, eighty-eight percent of Black men over fifty and seventy-two percent of those younger say they will vote for her. You won’t find any other voting block with higher support for Harris except for Black women.
The media is constantly telling America Black men have a problem with Harris. PBS ran a story in August that, “Trump Is Gaining Ground with Some Black Men.” Mother Jones reported, “I Spent a Week with Black MAGA. Here’s What I Learned.” The New York Times wrote, “Black Men Rally for Kamala Harris and Confront an Elephant in the Room.” Donald Trump amplified the theme, saying, “I seem to be doing very well with Black males.” He isn’t.
An A.P.-NORC poll showed one in ten Black voters believe Trump would make things better for the country. Eight out of ten have a somewhat or very negative view of him. In 2016, Trump won 14% of Black male voters; in 2020, that number dropped to 12%. A recent NAACP poll showed Black male support for Trump at 13%. Little has changed in eight years except the hype surrounding it. The NAACP says that since Harris replaced Joe Biden on the ticket, Black enthusiasm has risen above 2008 levels since Barack Obama won his first term. There is no issue generally with Black male support for Harris, but there is relative discontentment among Black men under 50. This group is less likely to vote than any other Black demographic.
The story is getting attention across the media for reasons I can only guess at. One segment of the media has always tried to divide Black America with added bonus of providing support to their candidate. By saying a thing often enough, they hope to make it true. The rest of the media has a bad case of FOMO (fear of missing out) and gives the story traction, and some Black men are willing to get in front of a camera or give a…
