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'A real lag': Dems fret over Black votes in Virginia
PoliticoIn interviews with POLITICO, more than a dozen top Democrats involved in the Virginia campaign — from strategists on the ground to House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) — expressed concern that Black support for McAuliffe is weaker and less enthusiastic than it could be in a razor-thin race in a blue-trending state. Against that backdrop, McAuliffe and Black Democratic surrogates are racing across Virginia before Tuesday’s election to drive up Black turnout and support.
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The focus on Black voters in the final stretch of the campaign illustrates the critical role they’ll play on Tuesday. Not only did McAuliffe win a prior term as governor with the overwhelming support of Black voters, especially Black women, every national election since then has proved how critical they are to Democratic chances of victory in close races. While some involved in Virginia have taken heart in a late upswing in energy, others stressed that Black voters are exhausted from the fight against Donald Trump and frustrated with a lack of progress in Washington.
“We have seen an uptick in the last couple of weeks, but I’ve had some concerns about what has felt like a real lag” among Black voters in Virginia, said Adrianne Shropshire, executive director of BlackPAC, which invested $1.6 million into turning out voters of color through field operations and digital ads. “People are still struggling with all kinds of things right now — burying family members because of Covid, getting back to work, getting back to school. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but it’s still anxiety-producing that there’s this feeling that people aren’t paying attention, aren’t as engaged as we’d hope.”
David Aldridge, executive director of the Virginia Coalition for Progressive Values, an umbrella organization that coordinates field efforts across several Democratic groups, described the survey responses they collect from knocking on doors of likely Democratic voters. “When you look at them in aggregate, you see some softness among communities of color, especially with Black women,” he said.
...snip...
The focus on Black voters in the final stretch of the campaign illustrates the critical role they’ll play on Tuesday. Not only did McAuliffe win a prior term as governor with the overwhelming support of Black voters, especially Black women, every national election since then has proved how critical they are to Democratic chances of victory in close races. While some involved in Virginia have taken heart in a late upswing in energy, others stressed that Black voters are exhausted from the fight against Donald Trump and frustrated with a lack of progress in Washington.
“We have seen an uptick in the last couple of weeks, but I’ve had some concerns about what has felt like a real lag” among Black voters in Virginia, said Adrianne Shropshire, executive director of BlackPAC, which invested $1.6 million into turning out voters of color through field operations and digital ads. “People are still struggling with all kinds of things right now — burying family members because of Covid, getting back to work, getting back to school. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but it’s still anxiety-producing that there’s this feeling that people aren’t paying attention, aren’t as engaged as we’d hope.”
David Aldridge, executive director of the Virginia Coalition for Progressive Values, an umbrella organization that coordinates field efforts across several Democratic groups, described the survey responses they collect from knocking on doors of likely Democratic voters. “When you look at them in aggregate, you see some softness among communities of color, especially with Black women,” he said.
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