Vice President Kamala Harris’ rise to the top of the Democratic field has re-energized black voters in the key battleground states of Michigan and Pennsylvania.
A Suffolk University/USA Today poll released Sunday showed Harris leading former President Trump among black voters in Michigan, 70% to 9%, and among black voters in Pennsylvania, 70% to 11%.
The results suggest Harris has regained some of the enthusiasm lost when Biden was in the lead, with a Suffolk University/USA Today poll from June showing Biden leading Trump 54% to 15% among black voters in Michigan and only 56% to 11% among black voters in Pennsylvania.
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Vice President Harris and former President Trump (Getty Images)
“There’s no question that Harris’ rise to the top has created a sudden surge in support at the expense of all other candidates and categories,” David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Center for Political Studies, said in a press release about the latest poll. “While Harris is on track to unite the black community, she still falls short of the support of black voters she needs to secure to win states like Michigan and Pennsylvania.”
Losing support among Black voters, a key demographic for Democrats, was a particular concern for the party in the weeks before deciding to drop out of the race. In 2020, exit polls showed Biden won Black voters 92% to 7% in both Michigan and Pennsylvania, two key battleground states likely to decide the election.
Former President Trump spoke at a campaign rally at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania on August 17, 2024. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
Since Waltz joined the party, Trump has been asked 81 questions in press conferences and interviews, compared with Harris’ 14.
When black voters in both states were asked if they believed Harris represented them, 61% of black voters in Michigan said Harris represents “people like me,” while 27% said she does not represent black voters. In Pennsylvania, 58% of black voters said Harris represents people like them, while 30% said she does not.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Hendrick Center for Automotive Excellence on August 16, 2024 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Alison Joyce/AFP via Getty Images)
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The Suffolk University/USA Today poll was conducted among 500 black voters in both states from Aug. 11 to 14. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
