On Sunday, Democrats made appearances on major cable TV talk shows to defend President Joe Biden’s record, expressing confidence that he would secure a second term with the support of Black voters by November.
Recent polling in several swing states indicates a decline in support for the Democratic incumbent president among a voting bloc crucial to his 2020 election victory. In Pennsylvania, for instance, only 69% of Black voters indicated their preference for Biden over Donald Trump, the former president and presumptive Republican nominee.
Senator John Fetterman, D-Pa., who secured 91% of the Black vote during his 2022 Senate run, voiced his belief during a CNN appearance that Biden would still emerge victorious in Pennsylvania.
“Joe Biden consistently shows up,” Fetterman remarked. “While I cannot directly speak to the opinions of Black voters or their experiences, I firmly believe that Joe Biden will secure substantial margins and ultimately win Pennsylvania. However, the margin may be tight.”
While Fetterman engaged in the Sunday talk show circuit, President Biden delivered a commencement address at Morehouse College in Atlanta, a historically Black men’s college.
Biden’s speech follows a series of initiatives by the president aimed at engaging Black voters, including commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark civil rights case Brown v. Board of Education. Biden met with the families of the plaintiffs in the Oval Office on Thursday and delivered remarks at the African American History Museum in Washington, D.C., on Friday, the anniversary day.
Later on Sunday, the president is scheduled to speak at the Detroit Branch NAACP’s annual Fight for Freedom Fund dinner in Michigan, another swing state.
Representative Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, suggested that clearer messaging regarding the Biden administration’s accomplishments for Black Americans might bolster his reelection campaign.
“It’s crucial for people to understand what he has accomplished for them,” Crockett stated on CNN Sunday. “At times, it’s challenging to connect the dots. This administration has made significant strides, but there may have been a gap in communication.”
Crockett highlighted a historic investment in historically Black colleges and universities, such as Morehouse, among the administration’s achievements. “Black individuals need to recognize that this administration has genuinely invested in their welfare,” Crockett emphasized.