Politics and Current
How Kamala Harris and Democrats Can Solve Their Black Male “Problem.”
The unrest for Black men, the Democratic Party’s second-most loyal voting bloc, continues this election cycle as polls consistently show a lag in support for presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris.
A recent poll commissioned by Dr. Tillery shows that Kamala Harris can improve her approval rating amongst young Black male voters by 8-15% by tailoring her campaign message to how Donald Trump poses a direct threat to Black men, namely regarding to policing and rollbacks of civil rights and diversity and equality programs.
“The Democrats played it wrong and set themselves up to lose,” said Tillery, who last fall warned the then-Biden campaign about polling showing young black men were moving away from Democrats.
Tillery, who’s polled by his data firm 2040 Strategy Group, points to key policy issues that he believes are driving young black men away from Trump and back to Harris and the Democratic Party.
According to the most recent questionnaire from the Alliance for Black Equality, following Donald Trump’s record of supporting national stop-and-frisk policing and Project 2025’s proposals to eliminate DEI programs – a key tool to combat racial discrimination – young Black men’s concerns about harm to Black men increased by 23 % and 16% respectively.
The interviewer noted that black men also reacted positively when hearing about Harris’ background and her identity as a black woman. The Alliance for Black Equality can be hitting six figures ads targeting young black men with the persuasion points mentioned above regarding Harris and Trump.
“They get one of our ads that not only says the vice president is gorgeous and black, but also look what this old guy wants to do,” Tillery said. “He desires to stop you and search you. He desires to make it easier in your white boss to discriminate. “These two things are the cocktail to win this election in the next 14 days.”
Angel, a former Maryland state delegate, said she canvassed and talked to black men in cities like Philadelphia and found what their social media algorithms were displaying was “crazy.”
“Many of us who are in the political sphere … have no idea how deep this issue is,” Angel said.
“They hear it from bizarre people too. So for them it’s more trustworthy because they do not trust politicians.”
A political operative believes that the deputies the Harris campaign has dispatched to seek advice from Black voters usually are not appropriate “trusted messengers.”
Several Black men are campaigning on Harris’ behalf. Some of them are influential Democrats like former President Barack Obama, who will rally with Harris in Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday.
Angel argues that the campaign would work higher with younger black male voices, reminiscent of web influencers and hip-hop stars, or those that come from certain life experiences, reminiscent of the Central Park Five, who were wrongly convicted in 1989 ., and later acquitted in 2002, and recently filed a defamation lawsuit against Trump.
Dr. Tillery agrees that President Obama, whom he described as “preachy,” will not be the most effective messenger for disaffected younger black men.
He explained: “That’s another weakness of the Democratic campaign… they’re sending Gen X and baby boomers as messengers.”
“We think a good solution will be to meet them where they are, in the media they like and already use, with a bit of humor and imparting a lot of knowledge,” he said.
Tillery said a greater strategy to use President Obama can be to “hit the road with young millennials and Black Gen Z influencers.” He continued, “So state your point and get out of the way.”
Criticisms aside, Dr. Tillery noted that Harris has significantly improved her approval rankings amongst younger black men surveyed by the Alliance for Black Equality.
After interviewing Charlamagne Tha God, Roland Martin and The Shade Room and publishing her “Agenda of Opportunity for Black Men,” Tillery said Harris was “starting to engage with young black men.”
He noted that support for the Democratic presidential candidate increased from 49% to 59%. But he added: “The problem is that she’s still 20 points away from where she needs to be.”
Harris’ campaign continues its efforts to achieve young Black men through paid media content partnerships with The Shade Room and Hip Hop Hollywood. Both city media outlets have launched digital series to achieve black voters. The Shade Room released a six-episode series titled “My Black Job,” which features stars reminiscent of Jermaine Dupri and Pinky Cole, in addition to Harris’ brother-in-law Tony West and others.
Hollywood hip-hop The “Black Men Read ‘Project 2025′” series goals to coach Black men concerning the dangers of Project 2025 to themselves, their families and their communities.
“They have to keep doing what they are doing,” Tillery said. “And you still need projects like ours — independent messengers — who, frankly, will just make things real.”