CNN reported on Monday that its own polling shows a dramatic loss in support for Democrats among black voters. This, the network concedes, might cost the Democrats their majority in the Senate.
Black voters a key voting bloc of the Democratic Party, and even a modest loss in support from them could doom the party politically.
“Look, they’re still getting 74 percent support in the pre-election polling right now but compare that to the final polling for 2020 President and 2018 Congress,” CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten observed. “In 2020 it was 84 percent, 85 percent in 2018.”
On the flip side, black support for Republicans is inching up. In 2018, the GOP’s support from black voters was 9%. In 2020, it was up to 12%.
CNN’s Brianna Keilar was clearly concerned by this trend. “So, what’s going on here? What’s the cause of this?” she asked Enten.
Enten attempted to deflect the question, claiming the sample size was too small to gain a meaningful understanding of why black voters are leaving the Democratic Party, but he was willing to concede that Joe Biden has seen his support from black voters plummet. In the early months of his presidency, 87% of black voters approved of his job performance. Now it’s only 64%.
“That’s a huge drop,” Keilar conceded.
Based on these numbers, Enten noted that this shift could make a difference in key Senate races that appear close, such as those in Pennsylvania and Georgia.
Watch the clip here:
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