Kamala Harris promises ‘opportunity’ for Black men amid waning support

With less than a month before the US presidential elections, Democrats fear declining support in an important demographic.

United States Vice President Kamala Harris has tried to stem waning support from Black men in an increasingly tight presidential race by unveiling a series of economic proposals aimed at empowering them and driving them to the polls.

Harris introduced an “opportunity agenda for Black men” on Monday that is meant to give Black men more chances to thrive as she works to energise a key voting bloc. The proposals include $1m in forgivable small business loans and a promise to legalise recreational marijuana and ensure Black entrepreneurs have access to the new industry.

They come as the Harris campaign has grown increasingly concerned with slipping support from Black men.

According to recent polls, 70 percent of Black male voters said they would support Harris — down from 85 percent who supported US President Joe Biden in the last election four years ago. Younger Black men, in particular, have been steadily turning away from the Democratic Party, frustrated that their experiences are not reflected in policy as much as those of other groups.

It’s not clear how many of those voters would turn to Harris’s opponent, former President Donald Trump, or simply sit out the election. Trump has been courting Black voters by saying they stand to lose jobs to migrants crossing the border. More than a quarter of young Black men say they would support Trump in the election, according to a recent poll by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).