Biden’s campaign is turning to black media as the presidential race begins

Results from Tuesday’s (March 12) primary elections in Georgia, Mississippi and Washington pushed President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump past the delegate threshold required to win the 2024 presidential nomination.

Long before the two received their nominations, it was clear that the general election was already in the highlight.

Key questions: Will President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris gain the unequivocal support of black voters – a key electorate for incumbent Democrats of their re-election fight on November 5? The Biden-Harris campaign team is acutely aware that they need the same level of enthusiasm and engagement from Black voters that resulted of their victory in 2020.

The Biden-Harris campaign was invited to secure the black electorate BLACK ENTERPRISEStogether with other Black-owned media outlets to its headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, in order that top officials can communicate the administration’s actions to Black voters and share strategies to reach and fully mobilize Black voters.

These efforts are proving essential nationally, including in key battleground states such as Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia, where the incumbent president has received reports of waning black voter engagement on this race.

“This campaign is making Black media a priority — from making the largest and earliest investments in Black media in history for the re-election campaign to hosting outlets at our headquarters for meetings with our leadership team. We understand and value the critical role Black media will play in this election,” said Jasmine Harris, a former staffer for Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who took over as Black media director last month. The campaign is gaining momentum reporting on the achievements of the President and Vice President through an ongoing $30 million promoting effort through black press, digital and radio, a few of which can goal the upcoming NCAA “March Madness” tournament and visits to battleground states, CBS News reported.

In a series of meetings, including: TO BE and other media representatives got direct access to campaign management, including campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodríguez; principal deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks; director of communications Michael Tyler; and campaign co-chairman Cedric Richmond, a former congressman who also served as senior adviser and director of community engagement during the Biden administration’s first two years in office.

Officials addressed the dissatisfaction of huge sections of black voters. Fulks said the lack of overwhelming support is “not a Joe Biden and Kamala Harris phenomenon.” The Black vote has been “steadily declining” for the Democratic Party, which has been an ongoing challenge in several campaigns. “This is our problem and we have to deal with it now to get our candidates elected.”

The Trump campaign goals to siphon off black voters through appeals to conservatives as well as through digitally manipulated images of black supporters photographed with Trump. There is also news coverage that black voters support him due to his mugshot and diverse encounters with the criminal justice system, which was considered “outrageous” and stereotypical.

As reported , Trump does aggressively conveys his message to black voters and has polled nearly 4 times as much support from black voters as the 6% who voted for him in 2016, according to Pew Research Center data. Despite losing black voters in 2020, he still managed to gain their votes compared to 2016, especially amongst black men at 19%, which was higher than his result amongst black women.

A recall of the Biden administration’s achievements — from giving $5 billion to Black farmers as a part of the coronavirus stimulus package to fighting to forgive billions in student loan debt despite challenges from a conservative Supreme Court — shall be key to justifying a re-election, according to Richmond. “I think he has earned the African American voice because of his actions, his deeds and his achievements.”

Campaign officials also realize that the Black electorate can’t be viewed as monolithic. They must strategically engage with different voter segments across a variety of platforms, including digital.

Adds Harris: “We concentrate on reaching Black voters early and sometimes on communicating what the president and vice chairman have achieved for us: historically low Black unemployment, billions invested in HBCUs, forgiveness of billions in student loan debt, Black child poverty halved in his first yr in office, and small black businesses are starting at the fastest pace in 30 years.

As the campaign seeks to persuade legions of Black voters to come to the polls during early voting and on Election Day, it should proceed to seek effective ways to share the narrative of Black people from diverse backgrounds whose lives have been positively impacted by the administration’s policies and actions.

The most vital thing for the playbook is for the campaign to establish an unshakable bond with voters and motivate them to vote over the next eight months.