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The majority of Black women voters are excited to support Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election, but fear she will be the target of racist attacks, according to a new poll. They also believe that the 2024 elections are more critical than those in previous years, and they are most concerned with protecting democracy, improving the economy and fighting against white supremacy, the poll says. 

The survey, conducted by the Highland Project and brilliant corners Research & Strategies, collected data between July 28 and August 7 from a sample of 700 Black women registered   voters across party lines, ages and education levels. When it comes to Vice President Kamala Harris and the presidential election, 63 percent said that they strongly approve of how she is handling her role as vice president and 16 percent said they somewhat approve. 

If the election were held today, 78 percent of the Black women voters said they would vote for Harris, while 80 percent are worried about racist attacks against her. Three percent said they would back Donald Trump in the election and 12 percent said they were undecided.

The poll offers a rare look at the priorities of Black women voters, a population that is one of the most dedicated voting blocs and plays a pivotal role in community voter mobilization. 

“Most of the public polling that’s out there is general market polling. So, what is often missed in those conversations are the real distinct — in some ways — differences between the issues, and concerns, and the daily reality that Black women face that aren’t the same as the general marketplace,” said Cornell Belcher, president of brilliant corners Research & Strategies, who ran the poll.

The data also provides more concrete numbers capturing the enthusiasm Black women have shown for Harris since she announced her intention to seek the Democratic presidential nomination on July 21. 

Seventy-one percent said they believe the upcoming elections are more important than past elections and 86 percent said they will definitely vote in this year’s congressional and presidential elections, up by 8 percent from last year’s data. Much of that appears to be driven by a concern for democracy and freedoms, as well as the prevalence of racism and discrimination.

When asked to pick which issues the 2024 elections should be most about, the largest share — 34 percent — listed protecting democracy and freedoms. Tackling inflation and improving the economy were listed by 30 percent of Black woman voters. Combating racism tied at 27 percent with improving education quality and affordability. 

They also ranked on a scale of 1 to 10 the top issues that will affect which candidates they choose to vote for. Ninety-four percent said fighting racism and discrimination, followed by 93 percent who said reforming the criminal justice system to stop racial profiling and hold bad cops accountable, and 92 percent who said ensuring that voting rights are protected.

Gabrielle Wyatt founded the Highland Project, a nonpartisan nonprofit, in 2020 to center Black women’s perspectives in discussions of wealth and economic issues. The Highland Project’s research helps to highlight the nuances of how Black women think about issues like the economy and caregiving, Wyatt said. For many Black women, it not only includes pocketbook items like improving social safety net programs and decreasing costs; those are also tied to reforming gun policy and disparities in criminal justice, protecting reproductive rights and making education more affordable, Wyatt said.

The Highland Project’s multi-year polling effort also shows an evolution of Black women’s feelings about the economy.

“I think it’s important to raise that because so often we hear that Black women are the economic backbone of their community,” Wyatt said. “We know the tremendous economic power that Black women have shown, and yet what we’ve seen in our data over time is that despite their economic power, they’re still voicing tremendous angst about how they’re feeling about the economy. We’re seeing that tide in the last few weeks of data collection begin to turn.”

The polling numbers indicate that Black women are more optimistic about the direction of the country and the economy than they have been for years. This year, 29 percent of Black women  voters say economic conditions are getting better, 26 percent say they are staying the same and 40 percent say they are getting worse. That is a change from 2023, when 17 percent reported economic conditions getting better, 20 percent said they were the same and 61 percent said they were worse.

Black women have been loyal voters and organizers for the Democratic Party for decades, but conversations often overlook the intentional and strategic reasons behind this, Belcher said. 

“If you look at the data — everything from healthcare to inflation to education issues, Black women are voting that way because they see the Democratic Party more closely in line with where they are on the issues,” Belcher said. 

Black’s women’s sense of urgency about the 2024 elections and enthusiasm for Harris’ presidential bid reflect a “perfect storm” of factors, he continued.

“Women overall, but particularly Black women, are always the canary in the coal mine on seeing their rights and freedoms under attack and the threat of them going backwards,” Belcher said. “And for Black women that has an even more profound, weighted, distinct meaning, because going backwards for them is hell.”

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