Dem
51
GOP
49
Probably the Democrats' most stalwart supporters are Black women. Joe Biden understands this and has selected many Black women for high positions, starting with his veep, Kamala Harris. Then there are Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and 32 lower-court Black female judges, OMB Director Shalanda Young, Secretary of HUD Marcia Fudge, Council of Economic Advisors Chair Cecilia Rouse, U.N. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, and others as deputy and assistant secretaries.
Where Biden is increasingly having a problem, though, is Black men. Many of them don't see what he has done for them (although he has also appointed many Black men to high positions) and some of them like Donald Trump's macho style (which rarely impresses Black women).
Issues that concern them include a higher unemployment rate among Black men than among white men, lower pay than white men get, and racism generally. Inflation/feeding their families is also a top issue. They feel the Democrats are focused only on abortion, LGBTQ+ issues, and who uses which bathroom, issues that most of them don't care too much about. Many see the Republicans as the party that cares primarily about the economic issues they care about. Others don't trust either party and don't vote.
These voters are potentially winnable for the Democrats, but Biden has to put in more effort and specifically address the issues Black men care about. Appointing a Black man, Lloyd Austin, as secretary of defense, was nice, but not nearly enough. Running ads on the economy during football games is a start, though. (V)