Barack Obama’s message to black male voters angered some Democrats. Why it matters.

• Obama warned some black men for looking for “excuses” not to support a female presidential candidate.

• Some disagreed with the message, arguing that black male voters are not Harris’ biggest challenge.

• But any critical erosion of black support could cost Democrats dearly in November.

Former President Barack Obama campaigned for Vice President Kamala Harris this week as part of a concerted effort to rally support around the Democratic presidential nominee with less than a month to go before the election.

Obama has long been known for his tremendous oratory skills, which helped propel him to the White House in 2008. That year, Obama’s diverse voting coalition was marked by overwhelming support from black and young voters, two groups Harris must win in November.

But Obama’s comments in Pittsburgh on Thursday sparked a major debate about black voters and their loyalty to the Democratic Party and former President Donald Trump’s attempt to make inroads with the key group.

“You come up with all kinds of reasons and excuses,” Obama said of black male voters. “I have a problem with that.”

He continued, “Some of it makes me think that you just don’t like the idea of ​​having a woman as president, and you come up with other alternatives and other reasons for that.”

As Harris works to build her own voting coalition in what is expected to be a close race, every vote will matter. This is why Obama’s comments on Harris’ presidential candidacy are so important.

The gender gap is expected to be large

In virtually every national poll, Harris has significant leads among female voters, buoyed by her strength on issues like reproductive rights and health care. Harris recently cut into Trump’s long-standing lead on economic issues, which could be crucial in battleground states like Arizona and North Carolina.

Meanwhile, Trump continues to do well among male voters, especially among white men who have not attended college.

In the latest New York Times/Siena College national poll, Harris led Trump 49% to 46% among likely voters. While Harris had a 16-point lead among women, Trump had an 11-point lead among men.

Obama’s comments reflected concerns among many Democrats that black men — especially young black men — are leaning toward Trump and could cost Harris the election.

But some Democrats have called out the former president for his comments, arguing that his admonishment of black men turned off by Harris’ gender was misplaced.

“Why are black men lectured? Why are black men belittled in ways that no other group is? [is]?” former Ohio state senator and ex-Democratic congressional candidate Nina Turner told CNN on Thursday.

“There is a lot of love for former President Obama, but it is wrong for him to single out black men,” she continued. “Some Black men I’ve talked to have their reasons for wanting to vote a different way, and even if some of us may not like that, we have to respect that.”

The loyalty of black voters will be tested this year

Turner and some other Democrats have noted that black men are still among the party’s most reliable supporters.

In the 2016 presidential election, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won 94% of black female voters, compared to 82% among black men, according to exit polls. The results reflected the longstanding loyalty black voters have with Democrats.

That year, Trump won 4% of the black women’s vote, while receiving 13% of the black men’s vote. (Latino voters strongly supported Clinton, but both white men and white women generally supported Trump.)

According to the Pew Research Center, current President Joe Biden won 92% of Black voters in 2020, compared to 8% for Trump.

But Obama and other Democrats are hoping to anticipate what they see as Trump’s potential to win over more black voters — and especially black men — this time around.

The newly released New York Times/Siena College poll found that 78% of likely black voters supported Harris, while Trump received 15% support among likely black voters. Such a result – if it holds in November – could provide a boost for Trump in swing states like Georgia and Pennsylvania.

Black men in the Times/Siena survey supported Harris by 70% to 20%, still a significant advantage for the vice president but indicative of erosion among this group toward the Republican Party. Black women, however, remained strongly in Harris’ corner, supporting her by an 83% to 12% margin.

While Obama’s pitch may have rubbed some people the wrong way, Democrats know they need strong black support to win in November.

And the Times/Siena poll showed the work ahead for Harris as she campaigns to succeed Biden in the White House.

Read the original article on Business Insider