Race & Politics

Warnock says ‘Black voters cannot be taken for granted’ in presidential election 

Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) speaks to reporters following a vote in the Capitol.

Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) said in a Saturday interview that “Black voters cannot be taken for granted” when it comes to the 2024 presidential election.

“We know Black voters cannot be taken for granted,” Warnock said on MSNBC’s “The Katie Phang Show” with host Charles Coleman Jr. “And I like the fact that the Biden-Harris campaign is not taking Black voters for granted.”

Warnock also said the “idea that Black folks should just show up, is wrongheaded.

“And I believe that Joe Biden understands that,” Warnock continued. “[Vice President Harris] certainly understands it. Which is why, as we move forward into this campaign, you will see the ways in which they have already invested, far more than [former President Trump,] in reaching out to Black communities even as they work to lift them up. And you will see them ramp up over the next few months, in order to tell that story, and the job isn’t done until November 5th.”

A recent poll found most Black voters in Pennsylvania and Michigan saying that they would vote for President Biden in a hypothetical matchup. Both Biden and Trump have escalated messaging to Black male voters recently, highlighting the consequentiality the group has when it comes to the upcoming presidential election.

Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-N.C.) recently blamed issues Biden has dealt with when it comes to Black voters on “miscommunication” and “disinformation.”

“We have to be very careful because this is all about miscommunication, disinformation, and that’s what causes me great pause,” Clyburn said in a Wednesday interview.

“I know the power of the media, and the power of the media, repeating these things rather than reporting what’s actually happening,” he continued, “that is what’s causing the problem.”