The Democratic Party is in panic mode as Black voter turnout begins to plummet ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
This comes after a 10-point drop in Black voter turnout during the 2022 midterm elections compared to 2018, making it the biggest decline of any other ethnic group in the U.S.
Black voters were critical to President Joe Biden’s victory in 2020, and their support will once again play a pivotal role in his reelection bid. Recent polls and interviews, however, show that this demographic is becoming increasingly disillusioned, particularly among younger Black voters and Black men.
W. Mondale Robinson, founder of the Black Male Voter Project, has criticized the Democratic National Committee (DNC) for failing to effectively reach out to Black men, whom he describes as “sporadic or non-voters.” He argued that the party should focus more on turning out Black men, viewing them as swing voters.
“The Democratic Party has been failing epically at reaching this demographic of Black men — and that’s sad to say,” Robinson told The Washington Post. “Black men are your second-most stable base overwhelmingly, and yet you can’t reach them in a way that makes your work easier.”
In response to the declining turnout, Biden’s political team assured Robinson that the president’s 2024 campaign would put a bigger focus on young Black men.
“We have to meet them where they are and we have to show them why the political process matters and what we have accomplished that benefits them,” said Cedric L. Richmond, a former Biden adviser who is now a senior adviser at the DNC. “We will not make the mistake that others made of not drawing all the connections.”
The Democratic Party looks divided on the likelihood of Biden running for office again in 2024. While just nearly half of all Democrats want the president to run again, a sizable 81 percent say they would likely or definitely support him if he were to become the nominee.
But this enthusiasm is less strong among Black adults, with only 41 percent wanting Biden to run and only 55 percent saying they would likely vote for him in the election.
