No one knows who’s going to win next Tuesday, no matter how confident their predictions.
Everyone — at least in the politics-obsessed circles I spend much of my time in — is clinging to every piece of polling data, every stray bit of information, to figure out which presidential candidate seemed to have inched ahead in the battleground states over the past 48 hours.
And with every vote looming as potentially decisive, there’s one question I keep coming back to: What is going on with Kamala Harris and Black men?
For much of this bizarre presidential campaign, Black men have been cited as one of the weakest links of the Democratic coalition. While Black women have been a pillar of the party — especially in the past few elections — Black men have been measurably less enthusiastic, especially since Barack Obama left the stage.
And some say it’s become a circular thing: The more Black men feel left out of elections, the less involved they (we) become.
“I think the real issue is Black men feel left out of the conversation about progress in America,’’ said Jacquetta Van Zandt, a political strategist. “They feel left out of benefits.’’
To be clear, a majority of Black men will be voting for Harris. Still, Donald Trump’s campaign seems to sense an opening. For the first time I can remember, some Trump ads prominently feature Black men. The one I’ve seen most often bashes Harris for her support for transgender rights for prisoners — a commercial whose trifecta of sexism, homophobia, and transphobia makes my stomach churn.
And the very idea that a Black man could even consider voting for Trump blows my mind.
After all, we have a former president who is campaigning on a blatant message of hate. Whatever ineffective filters he and his supporters may have once employed are out the window now.
In Trump’s rallies now, Harris is a walking obscenity. She is a “shit’’ vice president, and “mentally impaired.’’ People of color are garbage. Immigrants are rapists, murderers, you name it. Oh, and Trump also plans to deploy the military against his enemies. A group you can rest assured will include no shortage of Black people.
Representing the other party: the country’s first Black, female vice president, an AKA, a proud graduate of an HBCU. How is this a tough call for Black men?
When I put a version of that question to Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the leader of the House Democrats and a Black man from Brooklyn, his response was diplomatic. He spoke of economics and of messaging.
“As I travel the country and communicate with people of every race — but on occasion have the opportunity to speak with African American men — my message is, ‘We see you, we hear you, and we’re committed to making life better for you.’’’ Jeffries told me.
“We know that while there’s been significant progress under the Biden-Harris administration, we know that there’s more work that needs to be done, particularly as it relates to work, wages, and wealth creation.’’
It can’t be said that Harris hasn’t reached out. In her closing media blitz, she has made a point of appearing in settings that appeal to Black men. She talked racial identity on “All The Smoke’’ with former NBA stars Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes. She chopped it up with Charlemagne Tha God, noting that she is open to the idea of reparations.
Some argue that this blitz has come too late, even given the truncated nature of Harris’s campaign. They say Black men have been treated like an afterthought in American politics in general, creating an opening for Trump to position himself as the politician who really takes their concerns seriously. An opportunity to siphon off enough Democratic votes to swing, say, Georgia.
I don’t think the strategy will succeed, and I think Harris will win the election. But when it’s over, I hope this will prompt a serious conversation about all the hatred Black Trump supporters were willing to ignore, and how little it cost to win their support.
If you’re a Black man in this country and you think Donald Trump cares about you, you’re being had.
Adrian Walker is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at adrian.walker@globe.com. Follow him @Adrian_Walker.
