The sprint to win the White House is in full swing for both Vice President Kamala Harris And former President Donald Trump criss-cross through the Keystone State Pennsylvania, feverishly trying to set their bases on fire.
The only voting bloc both candidates are vying for in a race that could come down to razor-thin margins Black male votersthat could make the difference in who wins or loses this election.
CBS News Philadelphia sat down with a group Black male voters to talk openly about the presidential elections.
Twenty-four-year-old Christopher McNeal voted for the first time in 2020. While he is also energized to vote in this election, he is concerned that some younger voters may not be.
“I really see that when you talk to younger people — from 18 to under 29 — people aren’t as involved because they think it doesn’t really concern them,” he said.
The broker calls on his colleagues to vote.
“I think a lot of it is about getting younger people to understand what the things are that are going to impact us,” McNeal said. “Maybe in this four-year term, or how the things we decide on in this term will affect us in the next maybe eight years or 12 years down the road.”
Stephen Pugh from Palmyra, New Jersey, said: “The best way I can explain it [the election]concerned.”
Pugh, 52, has been voting since he became old enough to vote, but feels a bit skeptical election anxiety.
“I’m worried,” he said. “You know, I remember a time, I’ve been voting for about 30 years and voting was so easy,” Pugh said. “You make your decision, you wait for the results. Your person is either going to win or not… fast forward to today.”
He said he is uncomfortable with the harsh rhetoric and more politically divisive climate the country has seen in recent years.
“I hope everyone realizes the importance: who you vote for is who you vote for. But you have to know who you’re voting for and why,” Pugh said.
Recent polls show some reluctance among black male voters, but a recent CBS News poll shows that 87% of likely black voters would choose Harris over Trump.
CBS Philadelphia
Philadelphia is the most populous voting area in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Even former President Barack Obama made one blunt appeal to black male voters during a campaign stop in Pittsburgh.
“I can’t say I see it in my community, but I hear it,” said Eugene Phillips of Germantown. And honestly, I don’t really understand it because when I think about black men and the black men I know, I don’t know a single black man who can’t look at it or doesn’t have a strong opinion. Black woman with whom they are connected, whether in their home or in their community.”
These enthusiastic voters will go to the polls without reservation on issues they believe are most important.
“I look at the war going on between Russia and Ukraine, I look at health care, which is a big thing,” said Brandon Stiff of Elkins Park. “I think economic issues are important. Starting a business or being able to improve upward mobility.”
Sixty-six-year-old Eugene Golson said he would attend the polls when they open on election day.
“I’ll be number one,” Golson said. “Actually, my wife will be number one because… but I will be number two, that’s our plan and that’s always our plan to be first and second.”
“I vote because I really feel like it’s really part of what makes me an active citizen in America. And I also know that there have been so many things that the people who came before me had to do to ensure that we have and guarantee the right to vote,” Phillips said.
“The message is clear: Black men need to be more involved in their local and national politics every day,” he added.
