Rep. James Clyburn (R-S.C.) on Sunday brushed aside a recent poll that suggests support for former President Trump from black and male voters is increasing, arguing that this demographic group has not “left the fold” of the Democrats and President Biden.
“I don’t think they left the fold. I don’t know what’s going on with the voting taking place here. I had just attended my state, NAACP event last night, I’m going to an A.M.E. [African Methodist Episcopal] church…. I am going to tell you something. There [was] “Zero support in this place last night for Donald Trump, zero support in the entire African Methodist Episcopal Church,” Clyburn said. NewsNation’s “Sunday on the Hill”.
“Yes, there are people – if he had gotten 8 to 12 percent before – there are people who vote blindly by party,” he added.
“The Hill Sunday” anchor Chris Stirewalt, speaking to Clyburn, noted a Wall Street Journal swing state poll in April, about 30% of black men said they would definitely or probably vote for Trump. Although it doesn’t compare to the WSJ poll, the newspaper noted that Trump received about 12% support from black men in the 2020 election.
Biden still had nearly double the support of black men, with 57 percent choosing the incumbent president in the WSJ poll.
Clyburn said he had “no idea what was going on” in the polls and argued that “something is wrong” with the polling system in the United States. He pointed to a primary election in Maryland in which one candidate saw a 20-point increase when comparing results from before. -from election polls to the actual numbers she received.
“How can the polls be so wrong? This is happening all over the country,” he said.
Clyburn, who resigned of House Democratic leadership earlier this year, is should travel in many swing states later this year to boost support for Biden among Black voters.
The move comes as recent polls show Biden losing support among young, black and Hispanic voters, all groups crucial to his electoral coalition.
In an interview with Punchbowl News Last MonthClyburn said Biden “doesn’t have a problem with black voters,” while dismissing other poll numbers.
A New York Times/Siena College/Philadelphia Inquirer poll, released last month, Biden found Trump’s head among black voters, 63 percent to 23 percent. This is a significant decrease from the 87% of Black voters who voted for Biden in 2020.
NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports and streaming videos, visit The Hill.
