President Joe Biden is experiencing a significant decline in support from black voters in Michigan and Pennsylvania, key swing states, according to a USA Today/Suffolk University poll.
In 2020, 76 percent of black voters in these states supported Biden. Now, that support has dropped to 56 percent in Michigan and 54 percent in Pennsylvania, a decline of at least 20 percent.
The report noted that Biden secured 92 percent of the black vote in each state during the 2020 election, making the current decline more severe.
Despite this, Biden is still viewed favorably by 61 percent of black voters in Michigan and 59 percent in Pennsylvania. However, these numbers are described as “anemic” for a demographic that has historically strongly supported his party.
Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump is gaining ground among black voters in both states. The poll shows 15 percent of black voters in Michigan now back Trump, up from nine percent in 2020.
Exit polls from 2020 indicated Trump received seven percent of the black vote in each state. Even slight shifts in support could impact a close contest, the outlet reported.
Trump’s support among black men is more than double that of black women in both states. His current support in double digits marks an increase from the single digits he received in 2020.
“That’s why Trump feels a sense of improvement in the Black community,” said Paleologos to USA Today.
The survey polled 500 black voters in each state via landline and cell phone from June 9 to 13, 2024, with a margin of error of ± 4.4 percentage points.
