AP: Fight for Black Voters Intensifies in Close PA Senate Race
"Black voters are at the center of an increasingly competitive battle in a race that could tilt control of the Senate"
from The Associated Press …
Black voters are at the center of an increasingly competitive battle in a race that could tilt control of the Senate, as Democrats try to harness outrage over the Supreme Court’s abortion decision and Republicans tap the national playbook to focus on crime in cities.
They are perhaps the Democratic Party’s most loyal supporters. About 9 in 10 Black voters nationally went for Joe Biden in 2020, according to AP VoteCast, an expansive survey of more than 110,000 voters nationwide. In Pennsylvania, the support was similar, at 94%.
There’s no evidence of a looming mass defection to Republicans like Oz. But if he can peel off even a small share — or a critical mass of Black voters choose not to vote — it might prove consequential in a race that polls show as close.
In Philadelphia, where Black voters are the largest bloc in the swing state’s biggest Democratic bastion, some activists question Democrats’ outreach and fret about turnout.
Charles Ellison, [Publisher of theBEnote] the executive producer and host of Reality Check, a daily public affairs program on Philadelphia’s prominent Black-themed WURD radio, said Democrats lack a unified message tailored for the Black community and didn’t undertake a long-term investment in Black voter outreach.
“There’s just not this realization that’s occurring that Pennsylvania is a national battleground and Philadelphia is the cornerstone in that,” Ellison said. “And the only way you’re going to get Philadelphia and the only way you’re going to get Pennsylvania is through maximum Black voter turnout.”