Democrats stress need to appeal to Black voters: ‘We have to be very clear about the barrier’ 

Democrats are stressing the need to appeal early to Black voters, a key voting bloc to President Biden in 2020 that is set to play an essential role in 2024. 

Four years ago, many across the country were still mourning the murder of George Floyd and facing a reckoning over race and police brutality. Demands for change and accountability brought voting rights and criminal justice reform into the forefront, inspiring more outrage and activism nationwide.

While Biden has since touted major improvements for the Black community specifically, a divided Capitol Hill has put critical legislation at a standstill. And strategists now say Democrats need to show those same voters what the administration has done for them or risk low turnout numbers in November.   

“We have to be very clear about the barrier we’re trying to overcome,” said Terrance Woodbury, the founding partner and CEO of HIT Strategies, a Democratic consultancy.  

“The barrier here is not ‘how do we make them like Biden.’ The barrier here is ‘how do we convince them that government works?’” he said. “We do that by showing how we make their lives better.” 

Democrats see some inherent advantages ahead of the general election. For one, Black voters know and support Biden as the party’s presumptive nominee. His loyalty and track record during the Obama years have afforded him credibility and allowed him to build on that established trust.  

He then delivered an early return on their investment when he successfully beat former President Trump in a high-stakes contest, easing Democratic voters’ top concern and further bolstering his positive standing.  

Though many expect the next fall election to be a Biden vs. Trump redux, there’s a shared sentiment among the Democratic Party establishment and grassroots that Black voters need more this cycle than an anti-Trump message to inspire and motivate a diverse electorate.   

The message might work for some but needs to be tailored accordingly, strategists are warning. 

“It depends on which Black voters we’re targeting,” Woodbury said. “For Black women, the threat of Republicans is quite mobilizing. The threat of more guns on the street, the threat of limiting access to abortion, the threat of limiting access to voting.” 

Some of that is borne out in polling. Turnout among Black voters dipped during the last midterms, with some in the party citing more stability during the Biden years compared to Trump, creating less momentum and urgency to vote.  

While Black women still say they intend to vote against the GOP, other segments of the Black voting population, however, have expressed more apathy, Woodbury says. 

“For that part of the Black coalition, Black men and younger Black voters, the threat of Republicans is not enough,” he said. “For those voters, it’s not even the promise of what they will do in the next four years. It’s the progress of what they’ve done in the last four years.” 

Democratic campaign operatives and organizers are now turning their attention toward talking up the positive results during Biden’s first term.  

Black unemployment numbers have significantly decreased, falling to a low of 4.7 percent, according to the White House. The administration has also invested in educational programs, including pouring nearly $7 billion in resources to support historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), a point of pride for the White House and Vice President Harris, who went to Howard University.  

Special interest groups say that the record investments in other areas like child tax credits, housing vouchers, and educational programs are policies that the Biden campaign should emphasize in great detail on the trail.  

Dominik Whitehead, who serves as vice president of campaigns at the NAACP, argued the funding for HBCUs should be a major part of the Biden reelection campaign’s communication to the Black community. But he said more can be done on the economic front. 

“We have low unemployment numbers in history when it comes to Black folks having jobs in this country, but then the question is ‘how are you messaging and framing that to Black folks in states and letting them know that?’ Whitehead said. “What are those jobs? In terms of equity, are those jobs closing … the wealth gap in this country?” 

There’s also an issue of timing. Multiple Black Democratic sources told The Hill there are plenty of initiatives Biden’s team has advanced, like the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which passed through Congress but have yet to display the full effects. When voters can’t see concrete results immediately, the challenge becomes convincing skeptical voters of a future benefit. 

“A lot of the stuff that has been accomplished, people can’t feel it just yet because it’s more long-term implementation,” said Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright, a close ally of Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), a high-profile member of the Congressional Black Caucus who was integral to Biden’s winning coalition in the presidential primary.  

Biden has also given other major nods to Black voters in the form of representation. The president has nominated more Black women to federal courts than all other White House occupants combined and got Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman on the Supreme Court, confirmed in a challenging political climate. He also last month designated a new national monument to honor Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley. 

Beyond policy and representation, Democrats are also pleased with his progress on the political front, including wading into campaign politics by pushing the Democratic National Committee to make South Carolina the first state to hold a primary ahead of Iowa or New Hampshire.  

Additionally, they’ve celebrated major events in civil rights, setting the tone for their national significance.  

Biden and Harris on Monday will commemorate the anniversary of the March on Washington by meeting with community leaders and members of Martin Luther King Jr.’s family, 60 years after then-President Kennedy and King met in the Oval Office. Biden will also host a reception and give remarks to commemorate the day. 

“Black voters are pivotal members of the Democratic coalition that successfully took our party over the finish line in winning back the White House, increasing our membership in the Senate, and staving off a ‘red wave’ during the midterm elections,” said Tracy Falon King, director of Outreach Communications at the DNC, which is a sponsor of the March.  

King added the DNC is expected to “redouble” their mobilization and engagement efforts for Black voters, which will ultimately help them build on the momentum of key accomplishments like lowering prescription drug costs and reducing the child poverty rate by half.  

For all advancements, there are still points of contention, some say, over issues early into the election cycle where Biden and Democrats haven’t been able to move the needle. The Republican-led effort in several key states to limit access to voting rights is still top of mind for those who see voting as the most democratic and actionable way to protect their freedoms.  

Biden signed an executive order to direct his administration to expand access to the right to vote in March 2021. But the voting rights bill named after the late Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) was blocked in the Senate in November 2021 after it passed the then-Democratic House. 

Many were also optimistic the Biden-led effort on student loan forgiveness, including canceling large sums for Pell Grant recipients that would directly impact many Black borrowers, would alleviate existing debt and also galvanize voters to turn out for Biden and fellow Democrats.  

Both of those efforts — voting rights legislation and student debt forgiveness — were stifled by conservatives in the Senate and Supreme Court, respectively.  

So far, Black voters have not turned against Biden for the limitations of a divided Washington. Instead, there’s a more concerted focus on maximizing what has been done.  

“Black voters like Joe Biden. They like him, but they are still frustrated,” Woodbury said. “Their frustration is as much about the state of politics as it is about Joe Biden’s ability to fix the state of politics.”