Vice President Harris is starting a multistate tour on Monday to promote economic opportunities for Black Americans. The goal is to rally the important Democratic voting base before the November election.
The Economic Opportunity Tour will start in Atlanta and then move to Detroit the following week.
During the tour, Harris will highlight the Biden administration’s investments in small businesses, employment growth, forgiveness of student loan debt, and efforts to provide affordable housing.
“President Biden and I are dedicated to building an economy where everyone can succeed,” Harris said in a statement.
Harris has traveled to 16 states more than 35 times since the beginning of the year, including a tour of historically Black colleges and universities during Black History Month and a visit to Black Wall Street in Durham, N.C. in March to announce $32 million in support for historically underserved entrepreneurs. announce $32 million in funds to support historically underserved entrepreneurs.
The Biden-Harris reelection campaign has been increasing its outreach to Black voters in response to new polls showing a growing disillusionment with the Democratic Party among this demographic.
In March, polling by The Wall Street Journal revealed that while 57 percent of Black men plan to support Biden in November’s election, 30 percent indicated they are likely to vote for former President Trump. found In the 2020 election, an AP VoteCast poll found that 87 percent of Black men supported Biden and 12 percent voted for Trump.
Trump has recently been looking to build on the support he garnered from Black voters in 2020, and has even hinted at selecting a Black running mate.
However, the Biden-Harris campaign team has attempted to counter this by releasing two new television ads aimed at highlighting the negative impact Trump would have on Black Americans if reelected.
But the Biden-Harris campaign team has tried to fight back, releasing two new television ads aimed at highlighting the “disaster” Trump would be for Black Americans if he is reelected.
Politico reported Thursday that Harris’s new tour follows discussion the vice president has had with staff that outreach needs to be about policy, not just politics.
“If you were to ask her about Black Americans, she’d say ‘They’re not a monolith, and they don’t just fall in line,’” a senior official told the news outlet. “‘You need to earn their trust on these issues.’”