WASHINGTON (AP) — Former president’s top ally and potential running mate Donald Trump is launching a new effort to win over black and other non-white working-class voters, who he says could be the deciding factor in November’s election.
South Carolina Senator Tim Scottthe only black Republican in the Senate, will lead a $14 million campaign targeting minority voters in seven key states.
Scott’s push comes as Trump’s campaign ramps up its own outreach efforts to Hispanic and black voters, particularly black men, as part of its expected rematch against President Joe Biden. And that gives Scott, one of the several Republicans vying for the vice presidencyanother platform to demonstrate loyalty – and usefulness – to the presumptive GOP nominee.
Scott says that, with Trump at the top of the ticket, he thinks Republicans have a unique opportunity to contribute to Democrats’ historic dominance among minority voters. Polls show that many black and non-white adults are dissatisfied with Biden’s performance, although Trump may have an uphill battle to win given his own unpopularity with these groups.
“To the chagrin of many people, there is no doubt that African-American men are widely open to a shift in political partisanship,” Scott said in briefing reporters on the effort in Washington this week.
The new campaign will be led by Scott’s Great Opportunity PAC, which was formed after he suspended his campaign for the GOP nomination Last year. Aides says the group will work to convince more than a million potential voters it has identified in Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania.
The campaign will include canvassing, digital advertising, direct mail, events and appearances by Scott and other elected officials from minority communities that Republicans have too often avoided, according to Scott.
While it remains separate from the Trump campaign, aides said Scott recently met with Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley and his co-chair. Lara Trump to inform them of his plans.
“We will fight for and win the vote of Black and Brown voters and, in doing so, help Donald J. Trump win the presidency and Republicans win back the House and Senate,” read a memo from Jennifer DeCasper, who managed Scott’s 2024 campaign.
Trump has held a number of events in recent weeks for these groups, including a rally in the South Bronx in New York and a dinner Wednesday evening with students and alumni of historically black colleges and universities at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.
At the same time, national Democrats are investing heavily to prevent Trump from making inroads with a voting base. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black vice president, last week launched an awareness campaign among black voters highlighting their efforts to increase funding for these schools, cancel federal student debt, and pardon those convicted of simple marijuana possession.
Biden also accused Trump of…
