LOL... No white groups discrimination?
Kamala Harris' campaign gave millions of dollars to Black civil rights groups in September as she sought to strengthen her support among Black voters ahead of November's presidential election.
According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) disclosures filed on Sunday, the Democratic candidate's campaign contributed a total of $3,750,000 to 10 Black civil rights and religious groups based both nationally and in key swing state groups in the month. There was no similar funding for groups from other communities.
The payments point to a new funding drive to galvanize the Black community, as her support from the key demographic lags well behind what President Joe Biden secured in 2020. Before this, the Harris campaign only reported one donation to a third-party Black group. The vice president's Republican rival, former president Donald Trump's campaign has not reported contributions to any third-party Black groups during this election cycle.
Courting the Black vote will be important for both Harris and Trump ahead of the November presidential election given the race is tight and could be decided by slim margins in battleground states such as Georgia, where Black voters make up 33 percent of the electorate.
While Harris has a clear lead among Black voters, she does not appear to have as much support as Biden had in 2020. An October New York Times/Siena College poll showed Harris is projected to secure the support of 78 percent of Black voters, compared to 15 percent for Trump, but Biden got 90 percent of votes cast by Black people in 2020.
Meanwhile, October polling from the Alliance for Black Equality said that 10 percent of Black voters are undecided about who t hey will vote for in the election.
The national groups the Harris campaign donated to were Black Church PAC, a group of clergy members from across the U.S.; Black Voters Matter Fund, a nonpartisan Black voting rights group; Higher Heights for America, a PAC dedicated to electing progressive Black women; National Action Network, a civil rights group; National Urban League, an African American civil rights group and Power Rising Action Fund, a group of Black women seeking to influence politics,
Harris also donated to three Black groups based in swing states. These were the Institute of Church Administration and Management, an initiative of the Congress of National Black Churches, based in Georgia; International Free and Accepted Modern Masons, Inc and Order of the Eastern Star, a Black branch of the Freemasons group based in Michigan, and Detroit Unity Fund, a nonprofit that works on increasing the Black voter turnout in Michigan that Harris' campaign first made a donation ($75,000) to in August.
A spokesperson for the National Urban League, which received the largest contribution from the Harris campaign ($2,050,000) told Newsweek the money was to be used "for voter registration and education."
Newsweek contacted the Harris campaign and the other groups it donated to for comment on this article, but was unable to reach Detroit Unity Fund.
Mark Shanahan, an associate professor in politics at the University of Surrey in Britain said spending money on Black groups could "unlock the winning votes" for Harris.
"There are very few undecided votes still to be gained, but the Democrats perceive that Black voters are a rich seam still to be mined, and a group where Harris is not doing as well as Biden did in 2020," he told Newsweek.
"Giving to Black groups nationally and, particularly, in swing states could unlock what could be a vital few thousand votes, either swinging them back from Trump, or just encouraging reluctant voters to go to the polls. At this stage, every vote is vital, and creating a warm and positive impression in the Black community could just unlock the winning votes."
Aside from contributing to Black groups, in October, Harris unveiled a new Opportunity Agenda for Black Men which offered opportunities including fully forgivable loans for Black entrepreneurs, apprenticeship programs and legalizing marijuana. On the campaign trail she said laws prohibiting the drug disproportionately affect the Black community.
Speaking to the Rev. Al Sharpton on MSNBC on Sunday, Harris pushed back on the notion she is losing support among Black voters.
"There's this narrative about what kind of support we are receiving from Black men that is just not panning out in reality," she said, referring to turnout at a rally she attended in Atlanta on Saturday night.
"I will also say this, Reverend: I am very clear, I must earn, earn the vote of everyone regardless of their race or gender," Harris said. "And what can be frustrating sometimes is to have journalists ask me this question as though one should assume that I would just be able to take for granted the vote of Black men. I think that's actually an uninformed perspective because why would Black men be any different than any other demographic of voter? They expect that you earn their vote."
In total, the Harris campaign spent $270 million last month while Trump spent $78 million, FEC filings show. Harris raised $222 million and Trump raised $63 million, meaning Harris began October with $346 million to Trump's $285 million.
Kamala Harris' campaign gave millions of dollars to Black civil rights groups in September as she sought to strengthen her support among Black voters ahead of November's presidential election.
According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) disclosures filed on Sunday, the Democratic candidate's campaign contributed a total of $3,750,000 to 10 Black civil rights and religious groups based both nationally and in key swing state groups in the month. There was no similar funding for groups from other communities.
The payments point to a new funding drive to galvanize the Black community, as her support from the key demographic lags well behind what President Joe Biden secured in 2020. Before this, the Harris campaign only reported one donation to a third-party Black group. The vice president's Republican rival, former president Donald Trump's campaign has not reported contributions to any third-party Black groups during this election cycle.
Courting the Black vote will be important for both Harris and Trump ahead of the November presidential election given the race is tight and could be decided by slim margins in battleground states such as Georgia, where Black voters make up 33 percent of the electorate.
While Harris has a clear lead among Black voters, she does not appear to have as much support as Biden had in 2020. An October New York Times/Siena College poll showed Harris is projected to secure the support of 78 percent of Black voters, compared to 15 percent for Trump, but Biden got 90 percent of votes cast by Black people in 2020.
Meanwhile, October polling from the Alliance for Black Equality said that 10 percent of Black voters are undecided about who t hey will vote for in the election.
The national groups the Harris campaign donated to were Black Church PAC, a group of clergy members from across the U.S.; Black Voters Matter Fund, a nonpartisan Black voting rights group; Higher Heights for America, a PAC dedicated to electing progressive Black women; National Action Network, a civil rights group; National Urban League, an African American civil rights group and Power Rising Action Fund, a group of Black women seeking to influence politics,
Harris also donated to three Black groups based in swing states. These were the Institute of Church Administration and Management, an initiative of the Congress of National Black Churches, based in Georgia; International Free and Accepted Modern Masons, Inc and Order of the Eastern Star, a Black branch of the Freemasons group based in Michigan, and Detroit Unity Fund, a nonprofit that works on increasing the Black voter turnout in Michigan that Harris' campaign first made a donation ($75,000) to in August.
A spokesperson for the National Urban League, which received the largest contribution from the Harris campaign ($2,050,000) told Newsweek the money was to be used "for voter registration and education."
Newsweek contacted the Harris campaign and the other groups it donated to for comment on this article, but was unable to reach Detroit Unity Fund.
Mark Shanahan, an associate professor in politics at the University of Surrey in Britain said spending money on Black groups could "unlock the winning votes" for Harris.
"There are very few undecided votes still to be gained, but the Democrats perceive that Black voters are a rich seam still to be mined, and a group where Harris is not doing as well as Biden did in 2020," he told Newsweek.
"Giving to Black groups nationally and, particularly, in swing states could unlock what could be a vital few thousand votes, either swinging them back from Trump, or just encouraging reluctant voters to go to the polls. At this stage, every vote is vital, and creating a warm and positive impression in the Black community could just unlock the winning votes."
Aside from contributing to Black groups, in October, Harris unveiled a new Opportunity Agenda for Black Men which offered opportunities including fully forgivable loans for Black entrepreneurs, apprenticeship programs and legalizing marijuana. On the campaign trail she said laws prohibiting the drug disproportionately affect the Black community.
Speaking to the Rev. Al Sharpton on MSNBC on Sunday, Harris pushed back on the notion she is losing support among Black voters.
"There's this narrative about what kind of support we are receiving from Black men that is just not panning out in reality," she said, referring to turnout at a rally she attended in Atlanta on Saturday night.
"I will also say this, Reverend: I am very clear, I must earn, earn the vote of everyone regardless of their race or gender," Harris said. "And what can be frustrating sometimes is to have journalists ask me this question as though one should assume that I would just be able to take for granted the vote of Black men. I think that's actually an uninformed perspective because why would Black men be any different than any other demographic of voter? They expect that you earn their vote."
In total, the Harris campaign spent $270 million last month while Trump spent $78 million, FEC filings show. Harris raised $222 million and Trump raised $63 million, meaning Harris began October with $346 million to Trump's $285 million.
