On the Ballot in South Carolina: Biden’s Pitch to Black Voters

from New York Times I'm Michael baboro. this is the. [Music]. daily. today when the Democratic presidential. nomination process begins tomorrow in. South Carolina the question is not who. will win but whether President Biden can. fix his growing problem with black. voters my colleague Maya King.

explains it's Friday February. [Music]. 2nd so Maya after weeks of covering the. Republican Presidential nomination. process in Iowa and then New Hampshire. we are now officially ready to turn to. the Democratic nomination process and. that begins in South Carolina not where.

it used to begin which was in Iowa along. with the Republicans starting there and. just to begin remind us why South. Carolina is going first this year so. this process really started four years. ago when black voters in South Carolina. turned out in large numbers to vote for. then candidate Biden effectively saving. his campaign he was really trailing in.

Iowa and in New Hampshire right and it. was when he got to South Carolina that. all of these black voters seeing him as. really the most pragmatic option turned. out in these large numbers to vote for. him and he took that momentum from South. Carolina to Super Tuesday where he won. pretty. overwhelmingly and then of course was. then the Democratic party's nominee for. president right and Biden's very. explicit about this and proud of it he.

will frequently say black voters in. South Carolina saved revived my primary. campaign and they are the reason I'm. president he is not quiet about the role. that South Carolina has played in his. life and certainly in his political. livelihood President Biden really points. to South Carolina and black voters here. as a really key part of his Coalition. and it's the reason why he openly says. he asked the Democratic party to put. South Carolina first in the order of.

early primary States putting black. voters black Americans in the driver's. seat being the first Democrats in the. country to decide who they want to be. president and there's not a lot of. suspense around what's going to happen. tomorrow the primary here in South. Carolina is largely uncompetitive it's. very clear that Biden will be victorious. MH however we're not really watching for. the election result SS we're more.

looking at what's happening outside of. them and some of the Dynamics that have. caused Democrats to really hone in on. South Carolina and it's because they've. identified in polling in focus groups. and conversations a real problem with. one of the key coalitions that they will. need in November and that's black. voters and that's why South Carolina for. the last several weeks has been. something of a a laboratory or a proven. ground of sorts for Democrats as they.

try to form a message that would excite. and Galvanize black voters not just here. but across the country Democrats hope. here is that what they learn from black. voters in South Carolina is applicable. to Black voters in other parts of the. country cities like Detroit Milwaukee. even Atlanta with large black. communities in key swing. States.

[Music]. well may remind us of just how. meaningful a problem Biden has with. black voters according to all the data. that you have been looking at it's a. pretty big problem in 2020 President. Biden won the election with about. 87% of the black vote but polling that. the times has done found that at this.

stage he only has about. 71% of support from black voters that's. a pretty steep decline sure is and. what's even more concerning for. Democrats is that former president Trump. has actually increased his support among. black voters from 8% that he won in 2020. to about. 22% that our poll found late last year. it's a really striking drift away from. Biden because a Republican presidential.

candidate has not topped more than 12%. from black voters in almost 50 years W. and so if former president Trump were to. really have more than 20% support from. black voters that would be a historic. shift in Black voting. behavior I'm curious Maya in your. reporting what are you finding explains. such a major decline in support from. what you have described as a core and.

historically faithful group of Biden. supporters these black voters I me what. reasons are being offered to explain it. I've spoken to Black voters across the. country hi this is Maya King I'm a. reporter with the New York hi is. historian yes hi Alita hello yes hello. hi Avon it's MAA King with the New York. Times is now a good time to chat one. theme that's really emerged in these. conversations Michael has been this. general feeling of malaise I'm just not. won like they haven't won me over yet.

everybody talks and gets everybody to. vote for them and then when they get in. the office they don't do a lot of the. things that they say they're going to do. people want to and also this idea that. President Biden campaigned and made so. many promises to Black voters but did. not deliver on those promises H like. what student loan debt is one issue that. comes up quite a bit because I'm looking. at the fact that now I got a bill that I. got to pay that I barely make end meet.

to so it's like what did you really do a. lot of black folks that I talk to are up. to their necks in student loan debt and. they remember the promise that Democrats. made to try to alleviate some of that. like you guys talk so much about getting. it done and then the forgiveness is not. but for so long you know what I mean. like they'll let you not have to pay for. a little bit but then you have to wind. up paying it anyway so I mean and they. also remember how that hasn't really.

worked out and it feels like a promise. that really fell through one that they. were really looking forward to that. Democrats did not make good on right. Biden attempted to make good on it. through executive action he has been. undermined largely by Republicans. seeking to block him in the courts and. he hasn't had a lot of success with the. courts right and how old are you I'm 18. okay so you are and especially when I. talk to younger voters what they point. out to me is his age I know a lot people. talk about how like old he is and how.

he's like he's too old to like get. around or soon they'll say that he'll. like pass away they see him as this. representative of a bygone era of. politics that he doesn't understand or. really relate to a lot of the issues. that are more relevant to their lives. and that they just don't see him as a. figure who is really compelling to them. who they would want to vote for and feel. enthusiastic about right what do you. want to see Biden do and like what.

should he tell people your age to get. people to listen and and turn back out. to vote I feel like a effective message. would just be like knowing that he's. listening like maybe he doesn't know. right this is kind of the age and. Charisma question that has trailed Biden. now for years absolutely another thing. that I hear a lot is of course the. economy that things are more expensive. that even though people are working it's. hard for them to afford housing to.

afford groceries and to afford being. able to support their families at the. same time we looking at the economy and. was best for the people you know gas. prices were lower you know more jobs. were available for people and they point. to this steep uptick in prices and this. General harder living as really having. been palpable under Biden's presidency. this country is a business and a man. with business ethics such as Trump you.

know led the company great I mean and. this is where Trump's appeal starts to. really show itself I look at it as a. business aspect and a better choice for. this country by the way that it is would. be Donald Trump I spoke to a voter who. said that he felt the economy was better. under former president Trump that he. looked at the former president's. position as a businessman in his words. and said that he has a better grasp of. what's happened in the economy.

interesting I'm just waiting to see. who's going to have the best views who's. going to put out the best policies for. the American people and whatever side. that is you know that's what side I will. lean to but today you're saying that's. Trump. correct and what else are you hearing. from these black voters well something. that's come up a little more recently in. conversations with particularly black. organizers and Community leaders and. Faith leaders.

is a real disaffection for Biden in. terms of their perception of his support. for the war between Israel and Hamas. black Faith leaders are extremely. disappointed in the Biden Administration. on this issue I spoke with a number of. black pastors across the country there. are many who are when I have. conversations with them having real. issues with the White House who said. that the folks in their pews their.

congregants are really upset and. disappointed in the Biden Administration. babies and incubators and mothers and. fathers children people had nothing to. do with. Hamas um being killed as they see on the. news on social media and in their feeds. these images of Destruction in Gaza and. the fact that 25,000 have been killed. without the kind of outcry in America uh.

we know wouldn't happen if these were. white people we know that and so there. is that commonality that black Americans. feel but we and they have started to. understand or feel some sort of kinship. between Palestinians and their plight. and that of black Americans that both of. these groups in some way are both. oppressed people or have a history of. Oppression in their respective countries.

being taken we're giving Israel a lot of. taxpayer money to my knowledge with no. conditions and Netanyahu is telling us. just give us the money and leave us. alone that's. untenable that's untenable they feel. like the Biden Administration has played. such a role in helping Finance this and. it's really impacted their support now.

among a very key group of black voters. black Faith voters for the Biden. Administration and when you say black. Faith. voters just explain that these are. largely older black folks churchgoing. folks who spend a lot of time in Black. Faith spaces and this is really a group. of people that lies at the core of. Biden's black support H these are the. folks who. vote very regularly in almost every.

election and also I should point out. that black churches are a really. important part of Democrats get out the. vote efforts right that's been a place. where they've always been able to talk. directly to Black voters so it's very. striking now to hear that the same folks. who are pretty used to hearing from. Democrats talking about politics may. have even had Biden come visit their. church are saying that they are paying. attention to to his foreign policy and.

saying that they really really don't. agree with it so assuming the Biden. campaign has found similar reasons as. you have for the growing black. disillusionment with him in this. re-election campaign it feels like the. challenge for them is just the breath of. explanations voters are giving for why. they're souring on him it's not just one. thing it's a dozen things it's economic. explanations it's a personal.

disconnection it's things like his. support for Israel in the war against. Gaza and that would seem to all add up. to a very. challenging problem to. fix yes and it's a problem that can't be. fixed with a single message it's really. one that they're going to have to tackle. across multiple fronts and so I think. that's why you see so much money and. time and effort being poured into a.

state like South. Carolina this is the campaign's first. chance to really tackle this issue and. figure out what exactly they'll need to. do to fix this problem that they have. with black voter enthusiasm and. replicate that in places across the. [Music]. country.

we'll be right. back so Maya as the Biden campaign tries. to solve its black voter problem in. South Carolina what has its efforts. there actually looked like on the ground. how is it trying to shore up and win. back some of these black voters well. Democrats have spared no expense in. their efforts here in South.

Carolina we've seen about a sixf figure. investment in Staffing and that's senior. advisers to the campaign and also an. army of field staffers who have been in. the more Rural and heavily black areas. of the state hello hello South. Carolina it's good to be home with so. many friends President Biden himself has. been to South Carolina twice in the last. month good good.

afternoon good afternoon South Carolina. good after vice president Harris has. been here three times and we've also. seen several pretty high-profile. Democrats come and visit the state and. encourage folks to turn out people like. House Majority Leader hakeim Jeff. California governor Gavin Nome and all. of them are going to these really. far-flung parts of the state meeting. with voters talking with them and it is. you who convinced your neighbors and.

family members and friends and. co-workers reminding them of the role. that they played in the 2020 election in. so doing South Carolina set the path for. Joe Biden to become president of the. United States and me to be the first. black woman Vice President of the United. States it is you who did. that.

and what is the. overarching message that Biden Harris. and all these representatives from the. campaign are really experimenting with. as they speak to these groups of black. voters I heard a slogan multiple times. when I was at Democrats first in the. nation dinner last Saturday it was this. message of promises made Promises Kept. and they're driving home this message. Democrats that they actually have made.

good on many of the campaign promises. that they made in 2020 it's just that. they've done a pretty poor job of. articulating them in the past so the. campaign is speaking pretty directly to. what you have found Maya and you're. reporting that there's a perceived gap. between what Biden said he would do for. Black America and what he has actually. been able to do I'm really curious what. are the examples that the campaign. points to where they can say. here's a promise we made that we.

actually kept well where you see an. argument from a black voter in polling. or even in our own reporting about. falling short of the Biden. Administration you can expect to see. here in South Carolina Biden himself. countering that message and saying this. is where we've actually helped you and. this is where this Administration has. delivered on the Promises it's made I. promise help ease accumulated student. debt for millions of folks carrying.

during the crisis and the pandemic. Supreme Court blocked me but it didn't. stop me on the point of student loan. forgiveness this idea that Biden dropped. the ball on relieving student loans. another 25,000 people a month beginning. next month are going to start to get. their student loans forgiven because. they're getting notified with a letter. from me you're about to get that relief. they've come out on these large stages. and actually talked about instances.

where people have had their student. loans relieved through different. policies that the Biden campaign has. passed MH record. unemployment including the lowest levels. of black unemployment ever recorded in. American history they've also pared out. the fact that black unemployment is the. lowest it's ever been I promise. you we' make record investment in HBCU. including South South Carolina's 8.

HBCU HBCU student are just as talented. as any student in. America but their colleges and. universities don't have the funding and. endowments for The Cutting Ed. Laboratories and research centers. they've gone to a number of historically. black colleges and universities here in. South Carolina and actually laid out how. much money each university has received. from the Biden Administration well I've.

invested so far $7 billion in HBCU and. accounting help support our brilliant. HBCU students and again a promise made. and a promise kept making the point that. this president has invested more in. historically black colleges than. actually any other president in history. interesting other policies that I've. heard quite a bit a little bit more in. the weeds but I think it does matter to. these rural voters 40,000 projects in.

across American County rebuilding our. roads and our bridges affordable. high-speed internet everywhere in. America ripping out every poisonous lead. pipe in America so every child can turn. on a faucet drink clean water without. worrying about brain damage things like. rural broadband and internet access in. far-flung parts of the state. infrastructure clean water and pipes and. some of these places that historically.

have not had access to those things and. all the progress we've made comes down. to a simple. proposition promises made and Promises. Kept right it's an interesting approach. I mean on their own some of these things. that the campaign is talking about seem. relatively small but the idea is to have. those accumulate into a message that.

your life is better under President. Biden so stick with him but what that. seems to leave out are the less tangible. objections that black voters might have. to President Biden that you found in. your reporting his age and the war in. Gaza issues that are more complicated. and harder for the campaign to. counteract than something like internet. access or clean.

water right and these are things that. the campaign is going to have to work on. over the next 10 months but I think what. they're really driving home here in. South Carolina is a counter to this. message that they have not tangibly. changed the lives of people and actually. affected change in these different. communities and I think that their hope. is that once more people understand the. way that these policies have positively. impacted their lives it could counter.

some of the ill feeling that voters. might have towards Biden so how is the. campaign attempting to measure the. success of what they're up to in South. Carolina like you said they know they're. going to win so when the data rolls in. at the end of Saturday and they look at. it how are they going to know what is. effective in galvanizing black voters. and just as importantly how are they. going to understand and what's not. effective in galvanizing black.

Fighters you know Democrats have been. pretty tight lipped here in South. Carolina in terms of identifying what. success would look like for them but in. conversations with people who will. really be watching turnout numbers. tomorrow I think if we see large turnout. especially in these heavily black areas. of the state Biden's allies here in. South Carolina can count that as a. winm so that's the measure turnout how. many people actually show up with the. polls which is a little bit complicated.

because as we've said this is not a. competitive primary it's on a weekend. and the way you get people out to the. polls is usually by giving them a. competition in which they have very. strong. feelings that's right and that really is. Democrats challenge here even as they've. laid out this message and aimed to get. more voters excited about supporting. President Biden's. reelection it's really difficult to. actually get people to vote for that in.

a largely uncontested race and of course. former president Trump who is likely to. be the Republican nominee will not be on. this ballot in the primary but if we do. find pretty large turnout after Saturday. I think it points to the success of this. entire operation but even though this is. not a competitive. primary Democrats still turned out to. show their support for for This. president's re-election it strikes me.

that if this strategy doesn't end up. working if it doesn't work in South. Carolina and if it doesn't end up. working in any of the states where. Democrats need to turn out black voters. that this might not just be a problem. for President Biden and of course it. would be a problem for Biden it might. cost him the election but if as. Democrats fear black voters are open to. Trump and are willing to vote for a. republican in ways they haven't in. decades then this becomes a much larger. problem perhaps even crisis for the.

entire Democratic party and its brand. that's right it would mean a fundamental. reordering of the democratic. Coalition and that would create much. longer term issues for any Democrat. running for president or even down. ballot right and so for all those. reasons what happens in South Carol. Carina matters because it's the start of.

something very important that keeps. black voters with the Democratic party. or it's the beginning of a real rupture. potentially that. relationship it's a significant moment. and so in the same way that black voters. turning out in Mass for President Biden. in 2020 was what drove his momentum to. ultimately win the election right now 4. years later the possibility of black.

voters shifting away from Democrats. after South Carolina could be the thing. that threatens his re-election here in. [Music]. 2024 oh May thank you very much we. appreciate it thanks for having. [Music].

me or be right. back here's what else you need to know. today on Thursday the European Union. authorized the creation of a $ 54. billion fund to support Ukraine in its. war against Russia a crucial Lifeline.

because Congress has refused to adopt. new American funding for the country the. EU fund had previously been blocked by. the leader of Hungary Victor Orban an. ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. but in the latest round of negotiations. Orban dropped his. opposition. and President Biden has ordered Broad. financial and travel sanctions against.

at least four Israeli settlers accused. of violent attacks on Palestinians in. the West Bank his toughest actions. against Israel to date since it declared. war on Hamas the times reports that the. sanctions are aimed in part at assuaging. Arab American voters in the US who have. expressed Fury over Biden's forceful. support of Israel in the war. [Music].

today's episode was produced by Sydney. Harper summer tamat will Reed and relle. Banja it was edited by Rachel quer and. Brendan clink BG contains original music. by Maran Lozano and Pat mccusker and was. engineered by Alysa Moxley our theme. music is by Jim brunberg and Ben lurk of. wonderly the daily is made by by Rachel. quer Lindsay Garrison Clare tennis gter.

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special thanks to Lisa Tobin Sam doick. Paula Schuman Lissa Anderson Julia Simon. Sophia Milan mahima chani Elizabeth. Davis Moore Jeffrey Miranda renan. barelli Maddie masello Isabella Anderson. and Nina laom that's it for the daily. I'm Michael baboro see you on. Monday.