PHILADELPHIA — As Donald Trump’s criminal trial draws to a close, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will make a rare joint campaign appearance here to bolster a critical constituency in a critical state: black voters in Pennsylvania, as they prepare for a new phase of the campaign.
The Democratic ticket will be joined by rising Democratic star and likely primary surrogate Maryland Gov. Wes Moore as he seeks to counter Trump’s efforts to gain traction with voters who helped propel Biden to the nomination and then to the White House four years ago. .
Biden’s campaign has long viewed black voters differently than past Democratic campaigns — not a reliable turnout engine to be fired up in the fall, but a target group whose support is backed up from start to finish. Wednesday kicks off Black Voters for Biden at the end of a month characterized by most continuous communication with voters of the campaign so far.
Biden’s aides said Wednesday’s rally will be one of the biggest of the campaign as they aim to make a show of force on the New York jury trail. is preparing to issue a verdict In Trump’s silent money trial. Biden, Harris and Moore, as well as Pennsylvania Lt. Governor Austin Davis, the first black man to hold the role; Cherelle Parker, Philadelphia’s first black female mayor; Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Steven Horsford, D-Nev.; and others.
“Joe Biden’s approval ratings are underwater in Pennsylvania, and he knows it. Despite Biden and Harris’ best efforts to woo Keystone State voters, they know exactly who is to blame for rising costs, a spiraling border crisis and staggering crime rates across the country.”, Republican National Committee spokeswoman Rachel Lee said in a statement.
The support of black voters in Philadelphia is a critical element of Biden’s strategy to carry back Pennsylvania, which crossed the 270-vote threshold four years ago. Biden won 81% of the vote in Philadelphia four years ago, although his margin of victory over Trump narrowed slightly from four years ago.
City Councilman Isaiah Thomas, who along with council members launched a local initiative known as Black Men Vote, said he has seen some resistance in the community because it targets young Black men. He said misinformation — and not just online — is a particular problem.
“Every time I go on social media, I try to watch the game at night, I try to listen to music or YouTube or something like that, it’s all over the place. I’m always bombarded with how bad Biden is,” he said.
Thomas said it was too early to say whether initial concerns should raise alarm bells for November, but he encouraged Biden’s team to do more to get his message across.
“It’s good to have the poll numbers out there because it alerts us,” he said.
The Rev. Mark Tyler, pastor of Philadelphia’s Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, said he thinks Biden’s position will improve as the summer progresses and people see more of Trump.
“Black voters in particular need to remember Donald Trump from 2016 to 2020 and his behavior of either focusing on our problems or ignoring our problems,” he said.
The Biden campaign is relying on what it calls “trusted messengers” like Moore to deliver its message to more skeptical voters who don’t want to hear from either of the major-party candidates. After the rally, Biden will visit a small black business to try to tap into another source of potential local endorsers.
Moore is the third black man to be elected governor in US history, and the first in Maryland. He said he expects Biden to be on the road regularly to appeal to black voters in key battlegrounds. He joined Biden in Georgia in March as part of his post-State of the Union battlefield tour.
The campaign says Wednesday’s Black Voters for Biden launch will be followed by events around the country, with surrogates visiting barbershops, attending neighborhood nights and visiting churches over the weekend.
“Although we started working to win the support of Black America, Donald Trump continues to show how ignorant he is. He’s hosting crazy rap concerts to hide his lack of resources and competence to truly engage our community,” Biden’s deputy campaign manager, Quentin Fulks, said in a statement. we will continue to be.”