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Because of inflation, there is less enthusiasm among Black voters for President Joe Biden’s re-election than there was in 2020, and Black turnout was the path for Biden to seize control of the Democratic nomination.
A new Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll finds Biden’s approval rating among Black adults has dropped to 58 percent, with about 55 percent of Black adults saying they are likely to support Biden in the general election.
According to ABC News, around 50 percent of Democrats would like Biden to run for president again in 2024. Additionally, 81 percent of them have stated that they would support him if he becomes the nominee.
Among Black adults, the desire for him to run is not as strong, with only 41 perecent indicating their support, ABC reported.
Compared to Biden’s first month in office, his approval rating among Black adults was nearly 90 percent.
The Root recently spoke with Nina Smith, a former senior adviser and political strategist to Stacey Abrams, who revealed that there is an underlying problem with Biden’s record in serving underserved communities.
“I think inflation or at least the perception of inflation is really impacting people,” Smith said.
During his 2020 presidential campaign, Black voters in South Carolina supported Biden after a slow start, which helped him defeat his Democratic rivals and eventually win against then-President Donald Trump.
However, as Biden begins his reelection bid, the differing opinions among the same group of voters indicate potential challenges in re-establishing the diverse coalition that was essential to his success before.
Smith says presidents have little influence how inflation affects the country, but despite this notion, the price increase on essential to auxiliary items has made Black Americans, among other groups, more impatient of Biden.
According to Ohio State Professor Hasan Kwame Jeffries, Biden could improve his position by recognizing how much corporations inflating prices has contributed to the crisis for consumers.
“If he comes out against price gouging,” Jeffries told The Root. “I think that will mitigate some of the blame he’s receiving for not doing enough to reduce inflation.”
According to APVoteCast, a nationwide survey of voters, Black support for Republican candidates saw a small increase during last year’s elections, despite the majority of Black voters supporting Democrats. South Carolina is an early indicator of how Black voters view Biden after his recent video campaign launch. Biden moved the state to the beginning of the Democratic nominating schedule after Black voters helped him win the 2020 election. Additionally, he fulfilled his promise to nominate the first Black woman to the Supreme Court.
Many believe that the president has achieved significant legislative victories, such as the Inflation Reduction Act, a program worth about $740 billion that aims to increase clean energy use, lower prescription drug expenses, strengthen the health insurance marketplace, and impose taxes on big corporations.