ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Trump campaign’s efforts to win over black Americans are paying off as Republicans gain support with these historically Democratic voters.
But it may be a battle of the sexes: GOP leaders told The Post they expect to see more backing from black men — but black women will largely choose Kamala Harris over the former president.
Swing-state polling does indicate a higher percentage of black Americans plan to vote for Donald Trump this cycle.
Texas Rep. Wesley Hunt, who’s leading the GOP’s black outreach, has joined with Florida Rep. Byron Donalds to host social events such as “Congress, Cognac, and Cigars” in predominantly black areas in swing states, including Atlanta and Philadelphia.
“The idea for us was to go to places where Republicans traditionally haven’t gone and talk about the message of: ‘Were you better off four years ago, or are you better off right now?’ And most black men in particular when faced with that very serious question, the answer is usually President Trump,” Hunt told The Post.
While Hunt is optimistic about his outreach to black male voters, he conceded black women are a different story when it comes to pulling the lever for Republicans this November — primarily due to the name at the top of the Democratic ticket, he thinks.
“With the selection of Kamala Harris, I am less confident about black women versus President Trump because, quite frankly, that specific demographic bases their voting more predicated on identity. Kamala Harris being a black woman, that’s a tough demographic for us to get.” Hunt said.
“However, I do believe that President Trump will have the highest black male vote in the history of any Republican president in modern history.”
That view is seconded by Rafael Smith, a 42-year-old black man who supports Trump from Squad member Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s Michigan district.
“I think the black women are siding with Kamala more so because they are trying to identify with her more,” Smith told The Post.
“Just because she’s a woman and then just because she’s a woman of color. I don’t really think they’re looking at what she has done within the last three-and-a-half years that she’s been in office with [President] Biden.”
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Trump himself has visited Michigan to woo African-American voters, pitching his policies at a predominantly black church in Detroit, for instance.
“They’re coming for your jobs,” Trump told attendees of the June event. “And it’s terrible. . . . The black community is being hurt most by illegal aliens.”
Michigan-based Republican strategist Jason Roe also said Republican gains among black voters are only with men.
“I can tell you with polling, the inroads with black men are real,” Roe told The Post. “There are no inroads being made with black women. And while it’s great that we’re starting to make progress with black men, they don’t vote nearly at the rate that black women do.”
Trump garnered 12% of the black vote in 2020; Biden won 87%. Marist polls released Thursday showed 24% of Florida black voters back Trump, 18% in Ohio and 13% in Georgia. They’re modest numbers — but indicate Harris is not an overwhelmingly popular candidate among these voters.
Whatever gains the GOP makes among black voters, Republicans The Post interviewed acknowledged Democrats will still hold onto a large majority in 2024.
“One thing Byron Donalds and I talk about is we may not get as many people as we would like this cycle, but Byron Donalds and I aren’t going anywhere,” Hunt said.
Martell Bivings, a black GOP congressional candidate in Detroit, told The Post he believes Republicans would have more success with African-American voters if they invested more in canvassing in their neighborhoods.
“They’re scared to pay for that type of work,” Bivings said. “I talked to somebody in the party, they’re like, ‘It’s gonna take 10 years.’ Baby, no, it’s not. It could take 30 f–kin’ days if you guys put some real money behind us.”
