In the final stretch of the midterms, Black voters say economic woes, abortion, and criminal justice reform remain top issues.
Nearly three in four Black voters rate economic woes such as inflation and the cost of living as the biggest concern facing their families, according to a recent survey from the news outlet theGrio and KFF.
A separate poll from political research firm HIT Strategies and the NAACP found nearly 45% of Black voters in battleground states such as Georgia said racism was a top issue, followed by inflation and criminal justice reform.
The surveys come as Black people, who have overwhelmingly voted Democrat, will likely play a significant role in several battleground states when the final votes are tallied on Election Day.
“In all of these (mid-term) races, right, the Black vote and the Black turnout is probably the most determinative factor in whether these people are going to win or not,” Jermaine House is the senior director of communication at HIT Strategies, a Washington, D.C.-pubic research firm focused on millennials and people of color.
In Georgia, where the race between Democrat Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker could determine control of the Senate, Black voters make up a third of the electorate, according to the Pew Research Center.
Black voters make up 11% of the eligible electorate in Pennslyvania, where the Senate contest between Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz could also determine which party controls the upper chamber of Congress.
Amid systemic and pocketbook issues, Diante Johnson, founder and president of the Black Conservative Federation, a political advocacy organization, said some Black people feel both political parties have failed them.
“They just have to stand in the middle and figure out what’s best for them at that time,” he said.
How will inflation shape the elections?
Black and Hispanic voters feel the brunt of high inflation, partly because African Americans spend more of their wages in high-inflation areas such as housing and transportation.
In September, the Black unemployment rate was 5.8%, near a record low of 5.5% in late 2019.
Younger Black voters and Black men are more likely to say they don’t feel the benefits of Biden’s presidency, according to HIT Strategies research.
Jeremy Gray, an Alabama House of Representatives member, said the Democratic Party is doing well on social issues but needs to amplify its economic message to capture Black men.
“To shore up support among Black male voters, the party has to show Black male voters that it is also well-versed in pro-business, pro-innovation and pro-growth issues for Black communities,” he said.
What Black voters say about abortion
Nearly eight in 10 Black voters disapprove of the Supreme Court ruling in June overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion, according to theGrio and KFF research.
Republicans who are Black or conservative-leaning are more split about the decision, with 54% saying they approve of the decision to overturn the ruling.
Of Black voters who define themselves as evangelical, about 30% say they approve of the overturning of Roe. More than 70% of people who identify as white Evangelical Christians hold the same sentiment.
The debate over the legal right to an abortion is playing out in several battleground states. Georgia’s recently enacted abortion law bans the practice in most cases as early as six weeks, often before many people know they are pregnant.
About 86% of Black Georgia voters opposed the law, according to a University of Georgia survey commissioned by the Georgia News Collaborative.
Criminal justice reform important to Black voters
Gun violence and criminal justice reform have also taken center stage in the midterm elections, as many localities in the United States have seen an uptick in violent crime amid the pandemic.
Some conservative candidates have used the trend to diminish criminal justice reforms. But polling shows most Black voters want to see the criminal justice system overhauled or significantly reformed, according to a survey from FWD.Us, an immigration advocacy group.
More than two years after the 2020 murder of George Floyd led to historic social justice protests, eight in 10 Black voters view reducing the jail and prison population as consequential, the survey found.
Georgia state Rep. El-Mahdi Holly said Black voters have long supported criminal justice reform, but they are looking for candidates that can deliver.
“People are not often focused on how to solve a problem that has metastasized over several generations,” he said. “That doesn’t get remedied by one vote. That doesn’t get remedied by one politician or one party.”
Tiffany Cusaac-Smith covers race and history for USA TODAY. Click here for her latest stories. Follow her on Twitter @T_Cusaac.
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