By Ana Martinez-Ortiz
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden
Election Day is less than 50 days away. As the Nov. 3 date approaches, campaigns across the country are working harder than ever. The Biden-Harris campaign is no exception.
Earlier this week, the team released new advertisements geared toward Black men.
In 2018, Pew Research Center published an article on the electoral college results from the 2016 election. The publication created a chart showing the percentage of voters who voted for Hilary Clinton or Donald Trump. The results were based on the answers of 3,014 validated voters. According to the graph, 82% of Black men voted for Clinton and 14% voted for Trump.
In November 2016, CNN published its exit poll surveys based on the responses of over 24,000 voters. The polls showed that 82% of Black men voted for Clinton, 13% for Trump and 5% voted for other or gave no answer.
Both these graphs reported that the majority of Black women voters supported the Democratic Party candidate. In this case, Clinton received between 94% and 98% of Black women votes.
The voter turnout amongst Black men and women regardless of who they voted for was relatively the same. However, the support for the Democratic Party candidate was higher among Black women.
With that in mind, it makes sense that the Biden-Harris campaign is focusing its latest ads towards Black men. The ads were released nationwide but special attention was given to battleground states such as North Carolina.
During a press briefing, several members of Joe Biden’s team spoke about the new ads and the campaign’s plan to engage voters.
Congressman Cedric Richmond (D-Louisiana) said that the new ads are engaging and aim to send a clear message: vote.
“We want everyone to know the power they have and to exercise it,” Richmond said.
He noted that the ads are less about President Donald Trump and more about Biden and his plan.
Cameron Trimble, the director of African American Paid Media, said that the Black community in America is diverse with different ethnic and socio-economic standings.
Trimble said the ads include testimonials from a variety of people from business owners to millennials talking about their experience with COVID-19 pandemic and why they think the Biden-Harris ticket is the best choice. The campaign took care to show how Black Americans across the nation are dealing with the current times.
Symone Sanders, a senior advisor with Biden for President, said the campaign is making a concerted effort to engage with Black people and that they are “actively competing for their vote.”
In addition to the ads, the campaign is offering various programs. One program is Shop Talk, which is the subject of a Biden ad released on Friday, Sept. 11. The goal of Shop Talk is to engage Black men in conversation.
In the ad, Black men speak candidly in a barbershop about the importance of trust and having a trusted leader guiding this country.
Other programs include Make It Happen Monday, which focuses on entrepreneurs and highlighting Black business owners and Sister to Sister, which focuses on women. The campaign also has a program for college students and a Gospel program.
Richmond noted that the campaign knows that the Black vote is not guaranteed. Sanders added that the campaign is taking the time to engage voters and educate them on their voting options.
To learn more about Biden and his running mate Sen. Kamala Harris, go to joebiden.com. To register to vote, request an absentee ballot and more, go to myvote.wi.gov.