ATLANTA – Black voters expressed a mix of hope and concern Monday about Joe Biden’s exit from the presidential race and the prospect of Vice President Kamala Harris becoming the Democratic nominee.
As a key Democratic constituency, Black voters helped Biden to victory in the 2020 primaries and, ultimately, the White House, and were among his staunchest supporters, even as calls for him to quit increased. But no matter how proud some black Americans feel about Harris’s possibility, who is descended from blacks and Indiansbecoming president, the turn of events left some voters scared.
“I felt like we were doomed,” said Brianna Smith, a 24-year-old school counselor from Decatur, Georgia, recounting her reaction to Biden’s announcement. “I don’t see America really accepting the fact that a black woman is running for president.”
Biden’s support for Harris and the immediate coalition of other party leaders around her make her the prohibitive favorite to replace him at the top of the presidential ticket. But in interviews in Atlanta, where voters helped flip Georgia in favor of Democrats four years ago, some black voters grew nervous.
“People really don’t like women, especially black women,” said Mary Jameson, 46. “If a white woman can’t win, how can a black woman win?”
Carrington Jackson, a 23-year-old chiropractic student from Marietta, Georgia, said she immediately felt scared when Biden dropped out. Although she believes Harris is a great candidate, she worries that she will face not only the popularity of the Republican Party nominee, former President Donald Trump, but also the prejudices of the American public.
“As a black woman, I understand that she is at the intersection of sexism and racism,” Jackson said. “I think it will be a totally different battle now, other than competing against Donald Trump supporters.”
An AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll conducted before Biden’s announcement on Sunday found about 6 in 10 Democrats believe Harris would do well as president. More broadly, among all adults, the poll showed skepticism toward Harris, with just 3 in 10 Americans saying she would do well as president.
But black people were more likely to view Harris in a positive light.
Many Democrats followed Biden’s lead in expressing their support for Harris. The Congressional Black Caucus said it “fully supports” the vice president.
And some black voters, dismayed by what they saw as Biden’s dwindling odds of winning in November, said they would support whoever could better compete with Trump.
“If they can express Democratic Party policy better than Biden, then I will be happy to accept that person,” said Pierre Varlet, 30, an anti-money laundering specialist in Atlanta.
