President Biden instructed Black voters in Milwaukee on Wednesday that his financial agenda has elevated the financial alternatives obtainable to them and boosted their group, regardless of eroding help from the important thing a part of his Democratic base.
In his final marketing campaign pitch of 2023, Mr. Biden spoke to the Wisconsin Black Chamber of Commerce, telling the enthusiastic viewers that his administration is making a increase for Black-owned companies and Black Americans usually.
“Since [Vice President] Kamala [Harris] and I have entered office, America has filed a record number of applications to start new businesses. It has led to the fastest growth of Black business ownership in over 30 years,” Mr. Biden stated. “Across the country, wages for workers are up, Black wealth is up a record 60% since the pandemic. We’re just getting started.”
Despite Mr. Biden‘s rosy depiction of the economy, data shows that soaring inflation and sky-high grocery prices have hit Black communities especially hard.
Wage gains have cooled more dramatically for Black workers than other Americans. The median weekly earnings for full-time employed Blacks workers when Mr. Biden took office in January 2021 was $304. It was $299 in the third quarter of this year, according to Labor Department statistics. For all other communities, it was $365 per week.
The unemployment rate for Black workers fell to a record low of 4.7% in April but rose to 5.8% in October. That outpaced the increase for American workers overall.
“You have a cumulative 17% inflation rate during this president’s administration, so that is pounding everybody in society, and a few might argue it’s actually hurting some of us worse than others,” stated Wisconsin GOP Chairman Brian Schimming throughout a convention name with reporters.
Mr. Biden made the journey to Wisconsin amid falling ballot numbers, particularly amongst Black voters. Wisconsin is a essential swing state, and Mr. Biden barely edged out Mr. Trump to win the state by lower than 20,000 votes in 2020.
“Joe Biden is in Wisconsin today for one reason — he’s in trouble,” Mr. Schimming stated. “Not only in this state but in every swing state across the country. Voters say the No. 1 issue is the economy, and voters are overwhelmingly dissatisfied with the economy.”
Recent polls present Mr. Biden‘s support among Black voters is shrinking. Some are threatening to withhold their support in 2024, while others are drifting toward Mr. Trump.
The lack of enthusiasm among Black voters could prove fatal to Mr. Biden‘s reelection chances. They formed the core of Mr. Biden‘s base in 2020, and a dip in just one or two battleground states, such as Georgia or Michigan, could determine the election outcome.
An EPIC-MRA poll released last month found that only 62% of Black respondents would support Mr. Biden for a second term. Of those who didn’t help the president, 17% stated they’d vote for Mr. Trump and 17% had been undecided.
A ballot by The New York Times/Siena College revealed that 22% of Black voters in six battleground states would help Mr. Trump and 71% would again Mr. Biden in a theoretical rematch.
Those numbers present that Mr. Biden‘s help in Black communities is waning. Mr. Biden captured 92% of the Black vote in 2020, in contrast with 8% who turned out for Mr. Trump, based on Pew Research.
