Black men brace for ‘unfair’ blame, while Democrats worry about Harris’ support

Harris has been dogged for weeks by concerns that she will underperform men as polls show a historic gender gap in the presidential race. Much of the attention has been on black men, a traditionally Democratic voting bloc that is increasingly receptive to supporting the former president Donald Trump.

But among them there are also prominent surrogates for that target group Breakfast club host Charlamagne tha God, have accused Democrats of having a double standard, asking when those same Democrats will “wag their fingers” at white men and women who they claim are voting against their interests by supporting Trump.

At a meeting in Norristown, PennsylvaniaThis weekend, Democrats underscored that while some black men prefer Trump to Harris, they are still the party’s second-most reliable voting base behind black women.

Detrick McGriff, principal of Norristown Area High School, who hosted the meeting, emphasized that for every man who “has a disparaging comment” about Harris, there are “two or three more” who will “honor the women in their lives, whether it is their wives, their mothers or their daughters.”

Paul Henderson, Harris’ former chief prosecutor when she was San FranciscoThe district attorney was not present at the meeting, but separately examined the political narrative that black men are “disengaged or apathetic” as “dishonest” and “offensive.”

“The focus on the small percentage of black men who may not support Kamala Harris ignores the broader, systemic factors at play, including disillusionment with a political system that has historically ignored their needs and concerns,” Henderson told the newspaper. Washington Examiner.

Rallygoers echoed that message of black support for Harris in interviews Saturday night as they came to see former first lady Michelle Obama speak in Pennsylvania.

Timothy Webb, 52, downplayed many of those who view Trump as low-propensity voters and said there is a diverse coalition ready to vote for Harris on Election Day.

“For example, I’m a gay man,” said Webb, a health care worker in East Norriton. “My husband votes. I have an 8 year old daughter. I worry about women’s productive rights. I have a brother-in-law who is concerned about his wife’s health care. We will take it forward in the polls.”

Keith Colquitt, 67, expressed confusion and frustration about “why anyone, especially minorities, is being fooled by Trump.”

“I get discouraged sometimes, but when I come to an event like this – I went to a meeting, what was that? Last week? Where President Obama was there – and the crowds, it was just crazy,” said Colquitt, a teacher at a school in Philadelphia. “I worry about people, period, who are so gullible.”

Trump is unlikely to win any minority men on Tuesday. But its appeal among the demographic on issues like the economy could be enough to prevent Harris from becoming president now that this election will be decided on the margins.

Successful Democratic presidential candidates of the past have received about 90% support from black voters and 65% from Hispanic voters. The final New York Times– Siena College Poll Released Sunday, Harris showed 79% support from black voters and 51% from Hispanic voters.

Harris publicly acknowledged her difficulties reaching minority men last week during a stirring microphone moment with the governor. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI).

“My thing is we have to gain ground among the men,” Harris told Whitmer over a beer at the Trak Houz Bar and Grill in Michigan.

These words came after deferred action, with Harris releasing agendas for black and Hispanic men last month. Policy platforms include interest-free, forgivable loans for minority entrepreneurs; training and mentoring programs, including for teachers; and a national one health initiative for black men.

It was hoped that former President Barack Obama would help Harris bridge the gap with black men. He and his wife headlined a series of rallies for Harris in the final weeks of the campaign.

But the former president’s first appearance during the campaign landed Pittsburgh Last month was marred by him telling Democratic volunteers and staffers at a party office that a lack of support for Harris could be the result of sexism.

“Some of it makes me think, and I’m speaking directly to men, some of it makes me think that you just don’t like the idea of ​​having a woman as president, and you come up with other things. alternatives and other reasons for doing so,” Obama said.

Harris was asked about Obama’s criticism last month during an iHeartRadio audio town hall with Charlamagne tha God.

“President Obama was there last week waving his finger at black men,” Charlamagne said. “When are Liz Cheney And Hillary Clinton are they going to wave their fingers at white women? When are Bill Clinton And Joe Biden are they going to wave their fingers at white men?”

“I think what’s happening is we’re all working to remind people of what’s at stake, and that’s really important,” Harris responded.

Harris has been careful with her race And gender during her campaign, perhaps learning from the 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clintonwho leaned in vain on the historic nature of her candidacy as the first woman nominated for president by a major party.

In her 2020 presidential campaign, Harris pressured President Joe Biden for busing during the opening debate of that primary. But four years later, she has almost entirely avoided highlighting race as a campaign issue. When asked if she is the first black woman to be nominated for president, she emphasizes that she does not take the minority vote for granted.

Trump’s campaign and Republicans, more broadly, have sought to exploit the divisions the former president has created among minority men.

“Kamala Harris does sinking in the polls with black male voters,” the Trump super PAC MAGA Inc. told reporters last week. “While she pushed Barack Obama onto the campaign trail to bait black voters into supporting her, she rolled out a new plan to try to buy the votes of black men with 20,000 and the promise to legalize pot. After decades of empty promises by Democrats, black voters don’t believe this.”

In addition to expressing concerns about illegal immigration and the economy, the Trump campaign initially criticized Harris for her record as a prosecutor in San Francisco California attorney general. Charlamagne Tha God brought up her past opposition to marijuana legalization during the town hall.

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Harris faced the same scrutiny in 2020, with Ted Johnson, a senior adviser to New America, downplaying the possibility that Black voters would not vote for the vice president because of her past experience with prosecution.

“A not insignificant number of black voters will choose the descriptive representation she provides on criminal justice issues rather than punishing her for parts of her record as AG,” Johnson told the paper. Washington Examiner.