Black voters feel excitement, hope and plenty of concern as Harris takes center stage in campaign

ATLANTA (AP) — Black voters expressed a mix of hope and concern Monday as Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race and Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic nominee.

Black voters, a key Democratic constituency, helped lead Biden to victory in the 2020 primary and, ultimately, to his White House victory. among his most loyal supporterseven though calls for her resignation have grown. But even though some black Americans are proud of Harris’s potential, who is of black and Indian originBy becoming president, the reversal of the race scares some voters.

“I felt like we were doomed,” said Brianna Smith, a 24-year-old school counselor from Decatur, Georgia, recounting her experience. reaction to Biden’s announcement“I don’t see America really accepting the fact that a black woman is running for president.”

Cyria Adams, a 37-year-old hairdresser from Smyrna, Georgia, called Biden’s decision “heartbreaking.” As speculation grew last week that the president would step down, she prayed it was just a rumor.

“I’m nervous. I’m really nervous,” Adams said.

Biden’s support for Harris and the immediate cohesion of other party leaders around her make her the favorite to replace him at the top of the presidential ticket. But in interviews in Atlanta, where voters helped swing Georgia to Democrats four years ago, some Black voters were nervous.

“People really don’t like women, especially black women,” said Mary Jameson, 46. “If a white woman can’t win, how can a black woman win?”

Carrington Jackson, a 23-year-old chiropractic student from Marietta, Georgia, said she was immediately scared when Biden dropped out. While she thinks Harris is a great candidate, she worries she’ll have to deal not only with the popularity of the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump, but also with the biases of the American public.

“Being a black woman, I understand that she’s at the intersection of sexism and racism,” Jackson said. “I think that’s going to be a whole other battle, on top of competing against Donald Trump supporters.”

An AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll conducted before Biden’s announcement Sunday found About 6 in 10 Democrats think Harris would succeed as presidentMore broadly, among all adults, the poll showed some skepticism toward Harris, with just 3 in 10 Americans saying she would do well as president.

But blacks were more likely to view Harris in a positive light.

Many Democrats followed Biden’s lead in expressing support for Harris. The Congressional Black Caucus said it “fully supports” the vice president.

And some black voters, dismayed by what they see as Biden’s diminishing chances of winning in November, have said they will back whoever is best able to compete with Trump.

“If they can articulate Democratic Party policy better than Biden, then I’ll gladly take that person,” said Pierre Varlet, 30, an anti-money laundering specialist in Atlanta.

AP-NORC poll shows Black people generally have a negative view of TrumpBut while about 7 in 10 black adults have an unfavorable opinion of Trump, his numbers have improved markedly since early 2021.

Trump’s campaign has sought to win over more black voters and other minorities.

Jon Diggs, a 40-year-old Atlanta therapist who has typically voted Democratic in recent elections, said he was shocked by Biden’s decision. Both parties, Diggs said, have work to do.

“I don’t think either party has done a good job for the middle class and particularly for middle-class African-Americans,” he said.

Johnny Bester, a 37-year-old from Atlanta who rode his scooter alongside Diggs in Piedmont Park, said he was “not loyal to any form” of politics. He said Biden should have stepped down long ago and that he did not support the president’s endorsement of Harris.

“A lot of us forgot she was in the office because she wasn’t very vocal. She wasn’t very visible,” Bester said.