(The Center Square) – President Joe Biden’s support among Black and Hispanic voters has slipped heading into the 2024 election cycle, according to polls.
A USA Today/Suffolk University poll shows that Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump leads Biden 39%-37% in a potential 2024 matchup. The poll indicates softer support for Biden among voters of color ahead of the election.
Hispanic voters prefer Trump over Biden by 5 points, 39%-34%, according to the poll. In the 2020 election, Biden controlled a commanding share of these voters, 65%-32%. Among Blacks polled, 63% said they plan on voting for Biden in 2024, representing a sharp drop from the 87% who supported him in 2020.
These numbers continue a polling trend of Black and Latino voters drifting away from Biden. A HarrisX/The Messenger poll showed a substantial erosion of his Black and Latino support as well, with 59% and 45% of these voters saying they would cast a ballot for him in a matchup against Trump.
Black and Hispanic leaders are warning the Biden administration that voters are looking at other options ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
“It’s a matador red flag flying out there – the Hispanic vote is totally up for grabs. [Trump’s] cutting the margins. And in battleground states like Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, that can be a big difference,” Domingo Garcia, national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens told Semafor.
Garcia added that the Biden administration has not addressed the economic concerns of Hispanic voters such as cost of living, housing, and inflation rates.
Many Black voters feel that the Biden administration has not done enough to improve their fortunes, souring their enthusiasm for his potential reelection. These voters suggest that the administration has not returned the favor.
“I was concerned about President Biden. What has he done for Black people, who were a big reason for him winning? You hear that noise coming from the other side and you think, ‘It’s the same ol’, same old’: People begging for our votes, but not doing anything for us after they get it,” an Ohio-based Black voter told NBC News.
David Paleologos, director of Suffolk’s Political Research Center, suggests that Black voters are strongly considering third-party candidates, weakening Biden’s position against Trump.
“Although Trump hasn’t grown support among Black voters, he has closed the deficit because third-party voters come off of Biden’s support among Blacks. A young voter or a person of color voting ‘third party’ is a vote away from President Biden, and a vote away from President Biden is a vote for Donald Trump,” Paleologos said.
