Black voters aren’t a side note. We’re the base. And Democrats are losing us.
Eight months into Donald Trump’s second presidency, Democratic hopefuls are already angling for 2028. Governors Gavin Newsom, JB Pritzker, Josh Shapiro, former U.S. Representative Rahm Emanuel, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and others want to be the party’s next leader. But instead of fortifying their foundation, many Democrats are chasing MAGA voters who reject everything Democrats claim to stand for.
You can’t expand your base until you protect it. And the base of the Democratic Party is Black America.
In 2024, 83% of Black voters backed Vice President Kamala Harris—down from 92% for Joe Biden in 2020 and 93% for Barack Obama in 2012. Only 59.6% of eligible Black voters cast a ballot in 2024, a 3% decrease from 2020. In total, an estimated 13.9 million Black voters stayed home. Trump won the presidency by fewer than three million votes. That drop in Black support should alarm Democrats.
Black Women
Black voters are tired of being remembered only in election season. That fatigue is why many—especially Black women, have chosen to sit out marches and protests in recent months.
While Black male support for Democrats dropped in 2024, Black women remained steadfast. They saved the country from itself in 2020 by organizing and rallying against Trump, and in 2024, they held the line--92% of Black women voted against Trump, more than any other group. Yet this crucial bloc of voters continues to be largely ignored by Democratic politicians.
Malcolm X’s warning still rings: “The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person is the Black woman. The most neglected person is the Black woman.”
Since Trump’s return, the neglect has only intensified. 300,000 Black women have lost their jobs. Reproductive health restrictions, cuts to SNAP, and Medicaid will hit Black women the hardest. Attacks on public education threaten Black women—arguably the most educated demographic in America—more than any other group.
If Democrats are serious about winning, they must protect and uplift Black women, invest in Black communities, and show up because history has shown us that Black women will protect and uplift this nation in return.
The Democratic Response
Instead of courting Black voters, Democrats have responded as expected—recycling consultant-tested talking points that make the party look more willing to accommodate creeping fascism than to fight for its most vulnerable voters.
Bernie Sanders continues to criticize Vice President Harris’s campaign while ignoring the misogynistic, racist, and historic headwinds she faced. Democrats are willing to sit down with right-wing podcasters like Joe Rogan, Steve Bannon, Andrew Schulz, and Megyn Kelly but avoid platforms like Jemele Hill, Native Land and Grits and Eggs. Appealing to audiences openly hostile to Black communities won’t win elections—it will depress turnout further.
The Republican Party has made its anti-Black stance clear. Whether one likes it or not, the Democratic Party remains the only political vehicle for change for Black voters. But that relationship cannot be one-sided. Black voters need to know they matter more than MAGA voters who will never support economic justice and equality.
The Road Ahead
America has always tolerated Black suffering—slavery, Jim Crow, mass incarceration, and police brutality. Under Trump, the attacks have intensified: DEI programs dismantled, the first Black Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff removed, Confederate names restored to military bases, the first Black Librarian of Congress fired, artifacts from the African American Museum targeted, Black-run cities “occupied,” and the Voting Rights Act placed under threat by the Supreme Court.
Republicans understand the importance of Black voters to the Democratic Party which is why they are constantly attacking Black communities and our civil and voting rights. Democrats need to understand that to win and expand their support among Black voters, they must invest year-round in Black neighborhoods, show up on the platforms we trust, fund Black-led organizations already mobilizing voters, and center policies for safety, jobs, health care, affordable housing, strong schools, and justice.
Black voters are tired of promises without presence and the stakes are too high for half-measures. Democrats need to show up early. Show up often. Show up for us. The candidate that shows up for Black voters will win because without Black voters, there is no victory—just ask Bernie.
Eight months into Donald Trump’s second presidency, Democratic hopefuls are already angling for 2028. Governors Gavin Newsom, JB Pritzker, Josh Shapiro, former U.S. Representative Rahm Emanuel, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and others want to be the party’s next leader. But instead of fortifying their foundation, many Democrats are chasing MAGA voters who reject everything Democrats claim to stand for.
You can’t expand your base until you protect it. And the base of the Democratic Party is Black America.
In 2024, 83% of Black voters backed Vice President Kamala Harris—down from 92% for Joe Biden in 2020 and 93% for Barack Obama in 2012. Only 59.6% of eligible Black voters cast a ballot in 2024, a 3% decrease from 2020. In total, an estimated 13.9 million Black voters stayed home. Trump won the presidency by fewer than three million votes. That drop in Black support should alarm Democrats.
Black Women
Black voters are tired of being remembered only in election season. That fatigue is why many—especially Black women, have chosen to sit out marches and protests in recent months.
While Black male support for Democrats dropped in 2024, Black women remained steadfast. They saved the country from itself in 2020 by organizing and rallying against Trump, and in 2024, they held the line--92% of Black women voted against Trump, more than any other group. Yet this crucial bloc of voters continues to be largely ignored by Democratic politicians.
Malcolm X’s warning still rings: “The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person is the Black woman. The most neglected person is the Black woman.”
Since Trump’s return, the neglect has only intensified. 300,000 Black women have lost their jobs. Reproductive health restrictions, cuts to SNAP, and Medicaid will hit Black women the hardest. Attacks on public education threaten Black women—arguably the most educated demographic in America—more than any other group.
If Democrats are serious about winning, they must protect and uplift Black women, invest in Black communities, and show up because history has shown us that Black women will protect and uplift this nation in return.
The Democratic Response
Instead of courting Black voters, Democrats have responded as expected—recycling consultant-tested talking points that make the party look more willing to accommodate creeping fascism than to fight for its most vulnerable voters.
Bernie Sanders continues to criticize Vice President Harris’s campaign while ignoring the misogynistic, racist, and historic headwinds she faced. Democrats are willing to sit down with right-wing podcasters like Joe Rogan, Steve Bannon, Andrew Schulz, and Megyn Kelly but avoid platforms like Jemele Hill, Native Land and Grits and Eggs. Appealing to audiences openly hostile to Black communities won’t win elections—it will depress turnout further.
The Republican Party has made its anti-Black stance clear. Whether one likes it or not, the Democratic Party remains the only political vehicle for change for Black voters. But that relationship cannot be one-sided. Black voters need to know they matter more than MAGA voters who will never support economic justice and equality.
The Road Ahead
America has always tolerated Black suffering—slavery, Jim Crow, mass incarceration, and police brutality. Under Trump, the attacks have intensified: DEI programs dismantled, the first Black Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff removed, Confederate names restored to military bases, the first Black Librarian of Congress fired, artifacts from the African American Museum targeted, Black-run cities “occupied,” and the Voting Rights Act placed under threat by the Supreme Court.
Republicans understand the importance of Black voters to the Democratic Party which is why they are constantly attacking Black communities and our civil and voting rights. Democrats need to understand that to win and expand their support among Black voters, they must invest year-round in Black neighborhoods, show up on the platforms we trust, fund Black-led organizations already mobilizing voters, and center policies for safety, jobs, health care, affordable housing, strong schools, and justice.
Black voters are tired of promises without presence and the stakes are too high for half-measures. Democrats need to show up early. Show up often. Show up for us. The candidate that shows up for Black voters will win because without Black voters, there is no victory—just ask Bernie.
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