Harris re-energizes Black voters in key states, poll finds

Vice President Kamala Harris’ rise to the top of the Democratic ticket has re-energized Black voters in the key swing states of Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Harris leads former President Trump 70%-9% among Black voters in Michigan and 70%-11% among Black voters in Pennsylvania, according to the results of a Suffolk University/USA Today poll released Sunday.

The results show that Harris has recovered some of the enthusiasm lost when President Biden was at the top of the ticket, with the Suffolk University/USA Today poll finding in June that Biden only led Trump 54%-15% among Black voters in Michigan and 56%-11% among Black voters in Pennsylvania.

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"There is no question that Harris at the top of the ticket has caused an immediate jump in support at the expense of all other candidates and categories," David Paleologos, the director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, said in a press release about the new poll. "She is well on her way to unifying the Black community, though she’s still short of the kind of Black voter margins that she must secure to win states like Michigan and Pennsylvania."

Biden’s slide with Black voters, a critical demographic for Democrats, was of particular concern to the party in the weeks leading up to his decision to drop out of the race. According to exit polls from 2020, Biden won over Black voters 92%-7% in both Michigan and Pennsylvania, two critical swing states likely to determine the outcome of the election.

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Black voters in both states were asked if they believed Harris represented them, with 61% of Michigan Black voters saying she represents "people like me," while 27% indicated she did not represent Black voters. In Pennsylvania, 58% of Black voters indicated that Harris represents people like them, while 30% indicated she does not.

The Suffolk University/USA Today poll was conducted between Aug. 11-14, surveying 500 Black voters in both states. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.