One of the most important stories ahead of the upcoming 2024 Presidential election is how Black men will vote. Polls show former President Donald Trump is gaining ground with the group, which led former President Barack Obama to call them out while campaigning for Vice President Kamala Harris this week in Pennsylvania.
The Root wanted to reach out to this important but often overlooked demographic to hear straight from the source what they really think about the candidates and the issues that matter most. We spent three weeks speaking with Black men ages 29 to 70 from the northeast to the southwest. Although we set out to find a diverse set of opinions, finding a Black man to openly declare their support for the Republican ticket wasn’t easy. Here’s what the Black men we spoke with had to say.
When it comes to the issues, a September 2024 AP-NORC Center poll found that nearly 80 percent of Black registered voters think the economy is one of the most important in this election.
Phil, a 71-year-old registered Independent voter from Nevada agrees. He says he’ll be thinking about issues that impact the middle class as he casts his vote. He told us he’ll be voting for the Vice President, adding he doesn’t believe Trump has the solution, because he doesn’t understand the problem.
“Donald Trump is a millionaire, so he has no concept of middle-class values and struggles,” he said.
But a 37-year-old Republican we spoke with from Washington, D.C. disagrees, saying the economy did “pretty well” under the Trump administration.
“His administration’s record on the economy was pretty good – the markets were up, inflation was down and job growth was up,” he said. “His policies around not taxing tips and other incentives will benefit low-income and low-wage workers. His position is just to tax everybody less.”
During an October 10 campaign stop in Pennsylvania, former President Obama spoke directly to Black men on the fence about voting for Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 Presidential election, telling them that the choice should be clear.
“You’re thinking about sitting out or supporting somebody (in former president Donald Trump) who has a history of denigrating you, because you think that’s a sign of strength, because that’s what being a man is? Putting women down?” he said speaking to a group of Black men. “That’s not acceptable.”
Some of the men we spoke with feared Black men may have a problem with having a woman at the top of the ticket. Adam, a 49-year old Democrat from the Atlanta area, says he hoped that wasn’t the case.
“That just shows some of your character flaws and self-hate,” he said.
He says he’s supporting the Harris ticket because he believes a vote for Trump is a vote against voting rights.
“I believe [Trump] would roll back a lot of legal precedents that have been established since the Civil Rights Act. That can affect Black people’s progress,” he said.
In some of our interviews, we found Black men who weren’t excited about either candidate. During a September appearance on “Face The Nation,” Maryland Governor Wes Moore said he believes Black men’s frustration is less about Vice President Harris or the Democratic party but a frustration of the pace of progress in America.”
Jamal, a 29-year-old first-time voter from Chicago agreed, saying he doesn’t believe either candidate has Black men’s best interest at heart.
“None of them are really thinking about us,” he said. “They only come around every four years when they want our vote and promise a bunch of stuff they never deliver on.”
While he says he’ll ultimately be casting his vote for Kamala Harris, he considers it more a vote against Trump – who he believes is a racist – than a vote for the Democrats.
Vernon, a 50-year-old man from Virginia said he will confidently cast a vote for Vice President Harris, because he can’t support someone he believes sees people of color as inferior.
“All of that stuff he’s said about ‘s-hole countries’ in Africa. I can’t get with that,” he said. “And let’s not forget about The Central Park Five. He tried to have those young men killed.”
When asked about Trump’s racist rhetoric, the 37-year-old Republican from D.C. says he pays more attention to his actions than his words.
“I try to get away from that and look for actual support of racism and discrimination. I haven’t been able to find any of it,” he said. “He’s someone who exaggerates and speaks in hyperbole. He may come across as xenophobic, but I’m not as sensitive to identity politics as other people may be.”
Although we won’t really know how Black men will vote until Election Day, we know that this time around, every vote will count. While just 15 percent of Black voters in the AP poll have a somewhat or very favorable view of Trump, the gap widens slightly when you break the results out by gender – with 21 percent of Black male voters and 11 percent of Black female voters saying they think Trump would make a good president. One thing we know for sure, the country will be watching.