Former President Barack Obama warned Thursday before a rally in Pennsylvania that Vice President Kamala Harris was behind in “turnout” numbers compared to when he was running, particularly in the black community.
Polls show a tight race between Harris and former President Donald Trump in key swing states, with some pollsters cautioning Democrats about Harris’s declining support. Before stepping on stage at one of Harris’s rallies, Obama told reporters that they are not yet seeing the same energy in Pennsylvania communities as during his presidential campaign.
“My understanding, based on reports I’m getting from campaigns and communities, is that we have not yet seen the same kinds of energy and turnout in all quarters of our neighborhoods and communities as you saw when I was running. Now, I also want to say that it seems more pronounced with the brothers,” Obama said.
WATCH:
Wow – Obama sounds the alarm, says blacks are not excited about Kamala pic.twitter.com/yOLZ6FnTHy
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) October 10, 2024
In the 2012 presidential race, Obama won Pennsylvania by 5.4 points, securing 52% of the state’s vote compared to 46.6% for former Republican candidate Mitt Romney, according to RealClearPolling. In that same year, Obama garnered 93% support from black voters, just two points shy of the 95% he received in 2008 against Republican candidate John McCain, according to data from the Roper Center.
Despite gaining majority support from black voters, Vice President Kamala Harris faces challenges as former President Donald Trump continues to appeal to this key voting bloc.
Recently, data from the Howard University Initiative shows that Trump’s support among Black men has surged to 16%.
Additionally, a NAACP poll released on Sept. 13 found that more than one-quarter of young black men among 1,000 registered black voters surveyed said they would support Trump over Harris.
While on stage Thursday evening, Obama pleaded with black men in Pennsylvania as he questioned how voters, honing in on black voters, could be undecided on who to vote for come this November, The Washington Post reported.
“On the one hand, you have somebody who grew up like you, knows you, went to college with you, understands the struggles and pain and joy that comes from those experience,” Obama said.
He then added that with Trump, “you have someone who has consistently shown disregard, not just for the communities, but for you as a person.”
The polling average from RealClearPolling currently shows the former president with a 0.3 lead over Harris within Pennsylvania.
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