Poll reveals that Harris re-energizes Black voters in crucial states

The election of Vice President Kamala Harris has revitalized Black voters in crucial swing states such as Michigan and Pennsylvania.

In Michigan and Pennsylvania, Black voters prefer Harris over Trump by 70% to 9% and 70% to 11%, respectively, according to a Suffolk University/USA Today poll released Sunday.

A recent poll by Suffolk University/USA Today found that Harris has regained some of the enthusiasm she lost when Biden was the top candidate, with Black voters in Michigan and Pennsylvania showing a narrower gap between Biden and Trump at 54%-15% and 56%-11%, respectively.

"According to David Paleologos, the director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, Harris at the top of the ticket has caused an immediate increase in support, leading to a decline in support for all other candidates and categories. Despite this, she is making progress towards unifying the Black community, though she still needs to secure larger margins among Black voters to win states like Michigan and Pennsylvania."

The party was concerned about Biden's declining support among Black voters, a crucial demographic for Democrats, in the weeks leading up to his decision to drop out of the race. According to exit polls from 2020, Biden won over Black voters 92%-7% in both Michigan and Pennsylvania, two critical swing states likely to determine the outcome of the election.

In Michigan and Pennsylvania, Black voters were questioned about their perception of Harris' representation, with 61% of Michigan Black voters stating that she represents "people like me," while 27% indicated she did not represent Black voters. Similarly, in Pennsylvania, 58% of Black voters believed Harris represents people like them, while 30% indicated she does not.

A poll conducted by Suffolk University/USA Today between Aug. 11-14 surveyed 500 Black voters in both states, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.