Kamala Harris Erases Donald Trump’s Gains With Black Voters: New Poll

A new poll reveals Kamala Harris has similar support from Black voters as Joe Biden did in 2020, contradicting previous claims that she was losing their support to Donald Trump.
The poll was conducted by YouGov for CBS News between October 8 and October 11. It found that 87 percent of Black likely voters would vote for Harris and 12 percent would vote for Trump.
YouGov’s exit poll from 2020 found exactly the same party breakdown, with 87 percent of Black voters having said they voted for Biden, and 12 percent said they voted for Trump.
The results show a slight change from a New York Times/Sienna College poll published last week, which found Harris’s support among black voters at 78 percent, and Trump’s support at 15 percent.
With the race currently on a knife-edge, small percentage shifts in turnout among specific demographics in key swing states could determine the outcome of the election.
If elected, Harris would be the first woman to hold the White House and only the second Black person overall.
Polling aggregator FiveThirtyEight currently gives Harris a 53 percent chance of victory, against 46 percent for Trump.
Other surveys suggest Harris is struggling to match Biden’s 2020 appeal with non-white voters, with a Newsweek analysis of recent polling finding she has the support of 56 percent of Hispanic voters, down from Biden’s 59 percent four years ago.
Newsweek contacted Harris Trump’s presidential election campaigns for comment by email on Monday.
Speaking before a rally at the University of Pittsburgh on Thursday, former president Barack Obama addressed Black men directly in a speech where he called Harris “a leader who has spent her life fighting on behalf of people who need a voice and a chance.”
“My understanding, based on reports I’m getting from campaigns and communities, is that we have not yet seen the same kinds of energy and turnout in all quarters of our neighborhoods and communities as we saw when I was running.”
Obama added this apparent lack of enthusiasm “seems to be more pronounced with the brothers,” before adding, “Part of it makes me think, and I’m speaking to men directly, part of it makes me think that, well, you just aren’t feeling the idea of having a woman as president, and you’re coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for that,” Obama said during a surprise visit to Harris’ campaign field office in Pittsburgh before he held a rally in the city.
“So now you’re thinking about sitting out or even supporting somebody who has a history of degrading you?” Obama said, referring to Trump. “Because you think that’s a sign of strength? Because that’s what being a man is, putting women down? That’s not acceptable.”