Harris campaign energizes dispirited Black and Asian American voters
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Kamala Harris on the South Lawn of the White House on July 22. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Vice President Kamala Harris is firing up core Black and Asian American voting blocs that saw their enthusiasm wane when President Biden was at the top of the Democratic ticket.
Why it matters: Harris, the first Black woman and first Asian American woman to lead a major party's presidential ticket, faces an extremely tight presidential race against former President Trump, but her candidacy is giving Democrats a new chance to turn out marginalized groups' votes.
- Trump himself has tried to court court Black and Hispanic voters this year but he remains extremely unpopular among those demographics.
By the numbers: Polls consistently showed Black and Asian American voters were less energized about voting for Biden in 2024 than they were in 2020.
- A recent 2024 Asian American Voter Survey found that while 46% of the demographic would vote for Biden versus 31% for Trump, it's still eight points lower than the 54% who favored Biden in 2020.
- A Washington Post/Ipsos poll from April found that 62% of Black voters were "absolutely certain to vote" — down 12 points from June 2020.
- The first Reuters/Ipsos poll since Harris took Biden's mantle has her leading Trump 44% to 42% among all voters in a head-to-head race but didn't break out favorables by ethnic group.
The big picture: Black women make up a core part of the Democratic base and in the hours after Biden's withdrawal from the race Sunday the group Win With Black Women organized a Zoom call to mobilize support for Harris.
- More than 44,000 people, mostly women, joined the call and the group raised more than $1.5 million in under three hours.
- A similar call the nonprofit Win With Black Men organized on Monday brought in $1.3 million in four hours and attracted some 232,000 participants, the nonprofit announced on Instagram Tuesday.
- Harris even earned the endorsement of Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter Bernice King, the first time she has ever given a public political endorsement.
Zoom in: Harris, a graduate of the historically Black Howard University and member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., is tapping those roots to grow a base of support.
- "Her candidacy represents a significant progress in this nation towards women and communities of color, as she embodies the values and aspirations, we have long championed," Danette Anthony Reed, International President & CEO of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., told Axios in a statement.
State of play: Her candidacy has sparked excitement among the Indian American — and more broadly Asian American — communities in the U.S., Pawan Dhingra, a professor of American studies at Amherst College, told Axios.
- Enthusiasm about her candidacy is higher now than in 2019, as voters have gotten to know her as vice president, he said.
- Though "people are primed to be excited," her support among Asian American voters isn't to be taken for granted, Dhingra said.
- "She has to talk about the issues that all Americans care about, but in a way that connects with Asian Americans. And then she also has to clarify her stance on certain foreign policy issues that matter to Asian Americans," like America's relationship with India, he noted.
The bottom line: In addition to her Black and Indian backgrounds, Harris also has a long history of appealing to Latino voters.
- "What's so inspiring about her candidacy is that she can really kind of speak to multiracial coalition building that's necessary, not just for winning a campaign, but also for real social change," Dhingra said.
Go deeper:
- Democrats relish Harris vs. Trump contrast
- Brat campaign: Harris team swiftly embraces Gen Z memes about VP
Editor's note: This story was updated with added fundraising figures.
