US Vice President Kamala Harris maintains a substantial lead over former US President Donald Trump among black voters in key battleground states, according to a recent poll. However, a significant portion of undecided black voters could still play an important role in determining the outcome of the next presidential election.
The poll, conducted by the Howard University Public Opinion Initiative, collected responses from 981 likely black voters in battleground states — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
The results show that 84 percent of respondents intend to support the Democratic presidential candidate in the upcoming election, while only 8 percent said they plan to vote for his Republican rival, and 8 percent remain undecided.
Asked what issues were most important to them, voters placed “democracy, voting rights and elections” at the top of their list. Then come the economy and the right to abortion.
Two-thirds of black voters, or 66 percent, said they were enthusiastic about participating in the election, with 35 percent undecided about their candidate choice.
When it came to opinions of the candidates, 61 percent of respondents had a “very favorable” opinion of Harris, while 14 percent viewed her “very unfavorably.” In contrast, Trump was viewed “very favorably” by only 10 percent, with 74 percent having a “very unfavorable” opinion of him.
The vice president also continues to hold a lead over the former president among black women, with an 81-point lead. Among black men, the gap is narrow, with Harris ahead by 59 points. 10 percent of men and women have not yet made a decision.
Blacks across all age groups support Harris, but her lead among younger voters (63 points) is significantly smaller than among older voters, where her margin extends to 82 points. Among black men under 50, Trump has 21 percent support, while Harris has 68 percent.
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points. In that previous poll from September, Harris had 82 percent support, while Trump had 12 percent.
(With contribution from agencies)
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