PHILADELPHIA — Preparing for a new phase of the campaign as Donald Trump’s criminal trial nears its end, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will make a rare joint campaign appearance here on Wednesday to reinforce a critical constituency in a critical state: black voters in Pennsylvania.
The Democratic ticket will be joined by a rising Democratic star and likely top replacement, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, as he works to counter Trump’s efforts to make inroads among voters who helped Biden to the nomination and then the White House years ago. four years. .
The Biden campaign has long argued that it views black voters differently than previous Democratic campaigns have — a target voter group whose support is courted from start to finish, rather than a reliable turnout engine that only needs be accelerated in the fall. On Wednesday, it launches Black Voters for Biden at the end of a month that has featured one of the most sustained election campaigns to date.
Biden aides have joked that Wednesday’s rally will be one of the biggest of the campaign as they aim for a show of force as a New York jury prepares to deliver a verdict in Trump’s secret trial. Biden, Harris and Moore will also be joined by Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis, the first black man to hold that position; Cherelle Parker, Philadelphia’s first black mayor; Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Steven Horsford, D-Nev.; and others.
“Joe Biden’s approval rating is underwater in Pennsylvania, and he knows it. Despite Biden and Harris’ best attempts to gaslight Keystone State voters, they know exactly who is to blame for rising costs, the growing border crisis and staggering crime rates across the country,” said Rachel Lee, port -spokesman of the Republican National Committee, in a statement.
Support from Black voters in Philadelphia is a critical element of Biden’s strategy to re-win Pennsylvania, which put Biden above the 270 electoral vote threshold four years ago. Biden won 81% of the vote in Philadelphia four years ago, although his margin of victory over Trump narrowed slightly compared to four years earlier.
Isaiah Thomas, a City Council member who launched a local initiative known as “Black Male Vote” with other council members to encourage voting, said he has seen some resistance in the community to targeting younger Black men. He said misinformation – and not just online – has been a particular challenge.
“Every time I go on social media I try to watch a game at night, I try to listen to some music or YouTube or something like that, it’s everywhere. I’m always bombarded with how bad Biden is,” he said.
Thomas said it’s too early to say whether the initial concerns raise alarm in November, but he encouraged Biden’s team to do more to get their message across.
“It’s good that the poll numbers are available, because it puts us on alert,” he said.
The Rev. Mark Tyler, pastor of Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, said he believes that as summer begins and people see more of Trump, Biden’s standing will improve.
“Black voters in particular need to remember Donald Trump from 2016 to 2020 and the way he behaved in terms of either taking care of our problems or ignoring our problems,” he said.
The Biden campaign relies on what campaign officials call “trusted messengers,” like Moore, to help get its message to more skeptical voters who may not want to hear from either major party candidate. After the rally, Biden will visit a black-owned small business to try to tap another source of potential local validators.
Moore is only the third black man elected governor in U.S. history and the first in Maryland. He said he hopes to be on the road regularly for Biden to make the case for Black voters in key battlegrounds. He joined Biden in Georgia in March as part of his trip to the post-State of the Union battleground.
The campaign says the Black Voters for Biden launch on Wednesday will be followed by events across the country, with surrogates visiting barbershops, attending block parties and visiting churches throughout the weekend.
“While we are busy working to gain the support of Black America, Donald Trump continues to show how ignorant he is. Hosting clumsy rap concerts to hide the fact that he lacks the resources and expertise to genuinely engage our community,” Biden’s top deputy campaign manager, Quentin Fulks, said in a statement. “We will continue to be aggressive, innovative and thorough in our work to win the support of the same voters who sent Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to the White House in 2020.”
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
