By Nandita Bose
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will launch a multi-state tour on Monday to tout economic opportunities for Black Americans, aiming to mobilize a key voting base for Democrats ahead of the November election.
One of the main goals of the tour is to energize and engage black men, according to a White House official, a key demographic that polls show has lost some confidence in the Democratic Party. Winning them back will likely determine whether the president Joe Biden returns to the White House.
A recent Wall Street Journal poll of seven swing states showed more black men considering supporting Republicans. Donald Trump than Biden in the 2020 election rematch.
Harris will participate in a moderated conversation with Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings of Earn Your Leisure, who have used podcasts to increase financial literacy in Black communities.
The tour, which travels to Detroit next week, will focus on investing in communities, creating wealth and ensuring economic opportunity for Americans of all colors, according to the White House. It will also highlight the administration’s accomplishments, including a $158 million federal grant for Atlanta that will reconnect black communities isolated by major highways with the city’s downtown core.
Biden won a surprise victory in Georgia in 2020, by less than 12,000 votes. The state also nominated two Democrats to the U.S. Senate, which proved instrumental in passing Biden’s legislative agenda.
Democrats view Georgia as an uphill battle and any hope of winning the state again would require high turnout from Blacks, who make up 30% of the state’s population.
Monday will mark Harris’ third trip to Georgia in 2024 and his 12th since being sworn in.
Harris has made more than 35 trips to 16 states since the start of the year, including a Black History Month tour to historically black colleges and universities and a March trip to Black Wall Street in Durham, North Carolina, to announce $32 million to support the story. underserved entrepreneurs.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose and Jarrett Renshaw; editing by Diane Craft)
