Biden Campaign Officials Reportedly Raise Flags Over Lagging Black, Latino Early Vote Turnout in Key Swing States
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Some Biden campaign officials are expressing concern about lagging Black and Latino turnout in the early vote totals so far in some key swing states.
According to new article in Bloomberg, Biden aides have identified three states — Arizona, Florida and Pennsylvania — where the African-American and Hispanic vote totals are lower than they would prefer at this point. Early voting across the country has soared in many places amid the coronavirus pandemic and Democrats are seeing massive surges among key demographics like young voters in states like Georgia and Texas.
Despite record early-vote turnout around the country, there are warning signs for Biden. In Arizona, two-thirds of Latino registered voters have not yet cast a ballot. In Florida, half of Latino and Black registered voters have not yet voted but more than half of White voters have cast ballots, according to data from Catalist, a Democratic data firm. In Pennsylvania, nearly 75% of registered Black voters have not yet voted, the data shows.
One particular area of concern: south Florida, where early voting in Democratic strongholds is running behind Republican turnout. The Biden campaign has already taken steps to boost this key area, having sent Biden to campaign in Florida’s Broward County on Thursday.
Local campaign officials often complain that nationwide leadership does not devote enough resources to their areas and key demographics. And outreach to minorities, especially those with historically lower turnout rates, can be especially difficult — especially during a Covid-19 outbreak that makes traditional ground game tactics untenable.
Per Bloomberg:
Top campaign leaders have expressed confidence that Black and Latino voters will show up on Election Day — and historical trends suggest these groups often do prefer to vote in person. But some Biden advisers have expressed concerns about a lack of investment and are urging the campaign, so far unsuccessfully, to spend even more money to target these voters in the final stretch, especially given the campaign’s record-shattering fundraising.
In addition, the Biden camp pointed out that it has assembled a broad coalition of voters that offers several paths to victory in most battleground states. For example, in Florida, Biden has carved out narrow leads in polls among senior voters, a hugely important group in that state, giving his campaign more of an electoral cushion in case Black and Latino turnout disappoints.
