Mara Gay on Black Voters Turning Away from Biden: They Are So Exhausted, They Don’t See Change

EXCERPT:

GAY: "You know, I’ve been traveling the country for the Times the past six months talking to voters, largely, though not entirely Democratic ones, or people who have voted for Democrats in the past. I was in Florida last month with a state House candidate, there knocking on doors, and this is a larger group, I think, than we think about. One of the points of concern for the Biden campaign is that this group may actually be growing. And so, when you think about kind of the drift from the Democratic Party, there’s a lot of disaffection right now among black voters, younger voters, even older black voters, who I heard from, who said, 'I usually vote Democratic, but I’m just so exhausted by it all and I don’t see change in my life. I’m not sure if I’m going to show up this time.' So there is a question about whether this group of Democrats or voters in general is growing and how to reach them. I think the point of hope, though, for the Biden campaign is that most Americans who aren’t involved in — you know, who aren’t politics junkies, like we are here at this table, they aren’t going to start paying attention really until the convention. And so once they are really plug into Donald Trump is the candidate, that may actually motivate these voters because they tend to dislike him more than they dislike Joe Biden. I know the polls are kind of all over the place, but when it really comes down to it, the more people see of Donald Trump, I do expect that will shift."