Kamala Harris, Donald Trump campaigns seek to court Black male voters

PHILADELPHIA -- As the race for the White House continues, Pennsylvania is emerging as a battleground within a battleground.

A key demographic for both campaigns: Black male voters. It's a group that is not always easy to reach.

As groups try to engage more Black men in voting, each presidential candidate hopes it'll benefit them.

In February, Philadelphia Councilmember Nicholas O'Rourke added his voice to the Black Men Vote campaign. The goal was to register at least 2,204 Black men in the 2024 election, but registering and voting are two different things.

Our 6abc data team found more than 16 million Black men were eligible to vote in the 2022 midterm election, but only 38.6% actually did cast a ballot.

"They do not feel as if their votes matter, their voices matter or as if their issues matter," said O'Rourke, who is with the Working Families Party and serves as Minority Whip of the Philadelphia City Council.

Both presidential campaigns are trying to leverage the "Black male vote."

"Donald Trump's record is pretty unprecedented and I think that's registered with African American voters," said T.W. Shannon and advisor for Black Men for Trump, which works with the Trump campaign.

"Vice President Harris has a very active, very bold very engaged agenda for Black America," said State Senator Vincent Hughes, a Democrat who is also an honorary chair for Black Men for Harris, which works with the Harris campaign.

A Pew Research Center poll from August of 2024 shows 73% of Black men plan to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris; 16% say they plan to vote for former President Donald Trump who has seen an increase in support from Black men.

"We have a candidate who actually has a record of moving the needle on issues important to the Black community," said Shannon.

This week, Harris has unveiled what she calls an "opportunity agenda" for Black men focused on issues like lowering costs and increasing career opportunities.

"We're here to tell people that they do matter. We're here to tell people that their lives matter," said Hughes.

O'Rourke says the real work of engaging Black men is keeping a focus on issues that impact them even beyond Election Day.

"Doing everything we can to engage Black men," said O'Rourke.