Vice President Kamala Harris quietly met with a group of Black leaders in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, as the Biden campaign works nervously to boost the Black vote ahead of the 2024 election.
The meeting with Black leaders came after Harris gave a speech about the administration’s efforts to replace lead pipes in Pennsylvania communities.
Harris met with Pennsylvania’s first black lieutenant governor, Lt. Governor Austin Davis, as well as state Rep. Summer Lee and eight black Pennsylvania mayors. The campaign rally with Harris also included 10 Black faith leaders, according to Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, who shared a photo with Harris on X proclaiming “CommUnity.”
Vice President Kamala Harris visits the Kingsley Association in Larimer, Pennsylvania
Vice President Kamala Harris meets with Black leaders in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
“I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for coming to Pittsburgh and meeting with Black mayors and Black clergy from across Southwest PA,” he said. wrote on X.
The Biden campaign continues efforts to shore up support among Black voters following a New York Times poll in November showed that 22% of black voters in six battleground states said they would support former President Donald Trump.
Although 71% of Black voters said they would support Biden, it was lower than expected as the poll showed the president losing support from Black men.
Exit polls after the 2020 elections revealed Biden won 87 percent of the black vote.
The Biden campaign took place in February announced a massive effort to reach Black voters across the country, airing print and radio ads touting the Biden administration’s achievements as part of Black History Month.
The ads highlight Biden’s commitment to diversity in his administration.
“Black history is American history,” Biden’s ad reads say. “(W)e celebrate Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of Defense General Lloyd Austin and Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson…history makers who reflect President Joe Biden’s commitment to Black America.”
Vice President Kamala Harris meets with Black leaders in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Vice President Kamala Harris meets with Black leaders in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Biden continues to face tough poll numbers in swing states. A Michigan poll released Wednesday shows Biden lagging behind Trump in a head-to-head matchup with only 41 percent support to Trump’s 45 percent.
A pair of Emerson College Polling/The Hill surveys were released Wednesday shows Trump leads by 48 percent to Biden’s 42 percent in Georgia and leads Biden by 47 percent to Biden’s 44 percent in South Carolina.
The Biden campaign is increasing the number of Harris events as she tries to reassert herself on the campaign trail.
In recent weeks, Harris has quietly hosted more listening sessions with alarmed Democratic leaders about the direction of Biden’s 2024 reelection campaign.
Top Democratic governors criticized Harris and the Biden campaign’s messaging on abortion, its handling of the migrant crisis and its inability to reach young voters.
Harris has also hosted prominent black celebrities at the vice president’s residence for campaign calls, including comedian DL Hughley, film director Spike Lee, rapper Fat Joe, actor Don Cheadle and broadcaster Roland Martin. CNN.
Vice President Kamala Harris meets with Black leaders in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Vice President Kamala Harris meets with Black leaders in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Harris’ effectiveness on the trail is also blunted by her low approval ratings, even lower than Biden’s.
A recent NBC poll found that Harris only had a positive approval rating of 28 percent, while Biden had an approval rating of 36 percent.
The relationship between Harris and Biden became uneasy in the first three years of their administration, as Harris showed she was unwilling to take on tough political issues for the president and Biden’s advisers became less confident in her political instincts.
The campaign has sidelined Harris into areas within her comfort zone, with her rallies targeting black voters, women concerned about abortion rights and college-age voters.
Charlamagne tha God, Breakfast Club radio host
Charlamagne tha God, Breakfast Club radio host
At the same time, prominent Black voices have dismissed Biden as uninspired and Harris as ineffective in driving Black support to the polls.
Charlamagne tha God, co-host of the radio show The Breakfast Club, said Harris had fallen short of expectations in her first three years as vice president, but that “I don’t think it’s too late for her to change.”
He said he wanted to see more of Harris, arguing she was more charismatic than Biden.
“I would like to see her appear on news outlets like Fox News. “I would like to see her go in there and mix it up,” he said.