Watch: Historic poll of Black voters finds Harris has higher approval than Biden

On this week’s episode of theGrio’s “The Hill with April Ryan,” a new historic poll of Black Americans gives what could be the most accurate depiction of how Black voters feel about the Biden-Harris administration and national issues ahead of the Nov. 5 election.

The survey conducted by the Black Futures Lab shows that among 211,000 Black Americans, Vice President Kamala Harris has a 71% approval rating. President Biden follows closely behind, with 68% of Black Americans approving his job performance. By contrast, the presumed Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, received a 5% approval rating. 

The new study, which includes the largest contingent of Black voters ever polled, lends significance to Harris as her name has been omitted from the expanding list of Democratic contenders to replace Biden if he withdraws from the presidential race. Calls to replace Biden came after his less-than-steller debate performance against Trump. 

“Let’s be clear: debates are political theater, and records matter,” Kristin Powell, principal of Black Futures La, told theGrio. 

The poll, which was compiled well before the June 27 presidential debate, shows the majority of Black respondents lean toward the Democratic Party. The 18% who identified as independents also lean Democratic in their values. 

Powell said that the top issues important to Black people are the economy, violence, and education. The economy is the number one concern, and it includes issues of housing, low wages, and child care costs. The next area of most concern is violence, which encompasses police violence, white supremacist violence, and gun violence. The study also finds that when it comes to the least trusted people in America, corporations are ranked first, followed by elected officials.

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