Liberal activists have teamed up with former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg to attract Black voters in Florida, an important battleground state in Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s quest to defeat President Trump.
Guy Cecil, president of Priorities USA, and Adrianne Shropshire, executive director of BlackPAC, say Black voters continue to be targeted by negative messages and disinformation. The ad, which will start airing Wednesday, aims to reinforce Biden’s focus on rejecting Trump’s divisive rhetoric and policies. It also is an opportunity for Harris, who has been the focus of racist and sexist messaging, to speak to voters.
Biden leads Trump 88 percent to 9 percent among registered Black voters, in the most recent Washington Post-ABC News poll. But Priorities, BlackPAC and other groups have raised concern about weakness in support among young Black voters and Black male voters for the Democratic ticket.
Shropshire said the ad campaign is seeking to remind Black people “what’s at stake for Black communities in this election and persuading skeptical voters that their vote holds the power to course-correct our nation.”
With in-person voter engagement severely restricted because of the coronavirus pandemic, Cecil said the “multichannel media strategy is designed to connect with Black voters wherever they get their information and spend their time.”
Bloomberg, who has pledged $100 million to help Biden in Florida, called Black voters the “driving force behind Democratic presidential victories.”
He put up $6 million in the past week for a joint effort between Priorities and the Latino Victory Fund to run ads aimed at convincing Hispanic voters to support Biden and Harris.
