Black Men Vote PAC Increases Investment in Support for Harris' Turnout Efforts
The organization intends to invest $4 million in a mobilization initiative targeting key swing states.
TroibNews 
Democrats are increasingly concerned about the potential lack of turnout among Black voters in critical swing states, prompting a stronger push to mobilize this demographic.
The Black Men Vote PAC has announced a $4 million campaign aimed at engaging Black men in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, with the clear message: Show up and vote for Vice President Kamala Harris. First shared with PMG, the announcement details plans for significant spending on social media and establishing a comprehensive canvassing program in predominantly Black neighborhoods. These initiatives will include radio advertisements and hiring door-to-door canvassers to highlight Harris’s accomplishments and credentials.
This strategy underscores the Democrats' awareness that these states often have narrow margins that can decide the outcome of the election. Analysis from the 2016 election suggested that the Democrats' inability to effectively mobilize Black voters may have contributed to their loss. While Black voters typically lean heavily Democratic, recent polls indicate a decline in support among Black men during this election cycle.
“Black men can be the difference between winning and losing," stated Frank White, co-founder and board chair of Black Men Vote PAC. A long-time Democratic contributor, White has supported candidates such as Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and backed Harris during her 2020 primary campaign.
The PAC, along with its nonpartisan civic organization affiliate, has been actively engaging Black men in Detroit, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia. The group reports that many of these men feel disenfranchised by the electoral process and skeptical about the tangible benefits of voting.
This cycle, Black Men Vote has allocated over $6 million towards civic engagement efforts, which includes a pilot program training barbers to act as voting ambassadors, encouraging their clients to register. Their overall target is to register 100,000 voters, particularly focusing on Black men in the key battleground states, and they report that this effort is approximately 80 percent complete.
The organizers are eager to leverage the excitement surrounding Harris as she becomes the primary candidate. “Kamala is a better investment,” White noted, explaining the previous stagnation in their efforts when Biden was the frontrunner.
Additionally, the PAC commissioned a survey from HIT Strategies involving 500 registered Black voters in essential states for the upcoming November election. Conducted in early August, the poll revealed that 69 percent of registered Black men have a favorable view of Harris, with 66 percent intending to vote for her, compared to 17 percent who support former President Donald Trump. When Black women are included in the analysis, Trump sees only 10 percent support among Black voters.
“We literally have numbers in this poll — 54 percent of these Black voters — saying that her getting the nomination actually makes them more motivated to come out and vote,” commented Joshua Doss, a researcher and director of the Economics and Black Voters department at HIT Strategies.
Throughout this election cycle, Trump has attempted to appeal to Black voters by highlighting his role in the First Step Act, his 2018 law reforming aspects of the criminal justice system, while also criticizing Harris’s tenure as California’s Attorney General and District Attorney of San Francisco.
“I seem to be doing very well with Black males,” Trump remarked at a press event in Mar-a-Lago earlier this month. However, the PAC's commissioned poll found that over 80 percent of Black men in targeted battleground states trust Harris more than Trump regarding criminal justice reform.
“That’s a winning issue for her,” remarked Cliff Albright, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, an organization dedicated to mobilizing Black voters nationwide.
“I think the more that the young brothas start hearing the difference between her and what Trump is talking about … the more that conversation happens, she’s going to continue to pick up more and more support,” Albright suggested, noting that Harris could leverage her background as a former prosecutor to enhance her appeal.
Earlier this month, the Harris campaign engaged HIT Strategies. In an email, founding partner Roshni Nedungadi stated that no one involved in the survey for Black Men Vote PAC interacted with those working on the campaign, affirming “this poll is fully firewalled off.”
Aarav Patel contributed to this report for TROIB News
The Black Men Vote PAC has announced a $4 million campaign aimed at engaging Black men in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, with the clear message: Show up and vote for Vice President Kamala Harris. First shared with PMG, the announcement details plans for significant spending on social media and establishing a comprehensive canvassing program in predominantly Black neighborhoods. These initiatives will include radio advertisements and hiring door-to-door canvassers to highlight Harris’s accomplishments and credentials.
This strategy underscores the Democrats' awareness that these states often have narrow margins that can decide the outcome of the election. Analysis from the 2016 election suggested that the Democrats' inability to effectively mobilize Black voters may have contributed to their loss. While Black voters typically lean heavily Democratic, recent polls indicate a decline in support among Black men during this election cycle.
“Black men can be the difference between winning and losing," stated Frank White, co-founder and board chair of Black Men Vote PAC. A long-time Democratic contributor, White has supported candidates such as Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and backed Harris during her 2020 primary campaign.
The PAC, along with its nonpartisan civic organization affiliate, has been actively engaging Black men in Detroit, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia. The group reports that many of these men feel disenfranchised by the electoral process and skeptical about the tangible benefits of voting.
This cycle, Black Men Vote has allocated over $6 million towards civic engagement efforts, which includes a pilot program training barbers to act as voting ambassadors, encouraging their clients to register. Their overall target is to register 100,000 voters, particularly focusing on Black men in the key battleground states, and they report that this effort is approximately 80 percent complete.
The organizers are eager to leverage the excitement surrounding Harris as she becomes the primary candidate. “Kamala is a better investment,” White noted, explaining the previous stagnation in their efforts when Biden was the frontrunner.
Additionally, the PAC commissioned a survey from HIT Strategies involving 500 registered Black voters in essential states for the upcoming November election. Conducted in early August, the poll revealed that 69 percent of registered Black men have a favorable view of Harris, with 66 percent intending to vote for her, compared to 17 percent who support former President Donald Trump. When Black women are included in the analysis, Trump sees only 10 percent support among Black voters.
“We literally have numbers in this poll — 54 percent of these Black voters — saying that her getting the nomination actually makes them more motivated to come out and vote,” commented Joshua Doss, a researcher and director of the Economics and Black Voters department at HIT Strategies.
Throughout this election cycle, Trump has attempted to appeal to Black voters by highlighting his role in the First Step Act, his 2018 law reforming aspects of the criminal justice system, while also criticizing Harris’s tenure as California’s Attorney General and District Attorney of San Francisco.
“I seem to be doing very well with Black males,” Trump remarked at a press event in Mar-a-Lago earlier this month. However, the PAC's commissioned poll found that over 80 percent of Black men in targeted battleground states trust Harris more than Trump regarding criminal justice reform.
“That’s a winning issue for her,” remarked Cliff Albright, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, an organization dedicated to mobilizing Black voters nationwide.
“I think the more that the young brothas start hearing the difference between her and what Trump is talking about … the more that conversation happens, she’s going to continue to pick up more and more support,” Albright suggested, noting that Harris could leverage her background as a former prosecutor to enhance her appeal.
Earlier this month, the Harris campaign engaged HIT Strategies. In an email, founding partner Roshni Nedungadi stated that no one involved in the survey for Black Men Vote PAC interacted with those working on the campaign, affirming “this poll is fully firewalled off.”
Aarav Patel contributed to this report for TROIB News
