As midterms near, new poll portends trouble for Biden, Democrats among Black voters worried about economy

A new poll surveying Black voters could pose additional problems for the Democratic Party 100 days before this year's midterm elections.

Black to the Future Action Fund and Socioanalítica Research's Temperature Check Polls of 6,000 Black adults across the U.S. showed the nation's slowing economy as their top concern.

But more alarming for President Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats is the increasing disapproval of the economy and direction of the nation, the polls showed. The polls come out as other surveys suggest and analysts predict significant Democratic losses in the upcoming midterm elections.

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The Temperature Check Polls have been conducted bimonthly starting in July 2021. Back then, 57% of Black voters approved of the economy. By May of this year, 60% were dissatisfied with the economy, a factor attributed to rising inflation. When asked about the direction of the nation, 48% of those polled said they were dissatisfied.

Alicia Garza, principal of Black to the Future Action Fund, told USA TODAY that the polls show a measured political approach is not what voters want from lawmakers.

"People want to see the economy shift. People want to see ongoing relief and recovery efforts, especially as it relates to being in the second year of a global health crisis," Garza said.

On a more positive note: Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have high approval numbers with Black voters— they both received an average of 71% approval. But those numbers have dipped throughout the polling.

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In July of last year, Biden was at a 79% job approval rating but in May it dropped to 65%. Similarly, Harris saw a drop of 11 percentage points – from 77% to 66% – during that same time period.

Black voters are a crucialvoting base for Democrats. A Pew Research survey showed 87% of Black voters identify with the Democratic Party or lean Democratic. Black voters were also decisive in helping Biden win the Democratic presidential nomination and take back the White House in 2020. Record Black voter turnout in 2020 also helped Democrats gain control of the Senate during Georgia's runoff elections.

If Democrats hope to keep control of Congress, they'll once again need the support of Black voters in battleground states. But first they'll need to address the economic issues Black voters are facing, analysts say.

Economic help and reducing inflation, a priority

Across every Temperature Check Poll conducted, the top two priorities among those surveyed were economic: $2,000 monthly government relief checks and increasing the minimum wage to $15.

Additionally, rising inflation has also hindered the finances of some Black respondents.

Gas, food and rent prices surged while inflation hit a 40-year high in May. Meanwhile, the consumer price index, which measures inflation, increased 8.6% annually, the largest rise since December 1981, according to the Labor Department.

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More than half of Black adults surveyed – 55% – said they were in a good financial spot but 44% considered their personal finances as bad.

More potentially bad news for Democrats in the polls: 33% of poll respondents said their finances have gotten worse since COVID-19 hit in 2020, nearly twice the 18% who said their finances improved since the pandemic started; 49% said their finances stayed the same.

Blacks reported more financial and housing hardship due to the pandemic, with 23 percent saying they lost a job or had hours cut, according to the poll. Nearly one-third, 32%, of Black renters and 22% of Black mortgage holders stated they were behind on housing payments.

Childcare costs also factored into survey responses, with 84% favoring the supplemental cash payments of the expanded Child Tax Credit. An overwhelming majority, 70%, want the payments to continue for another five years. The Child Tax Credit cash payments helped lift children out of poverty but expired this year.

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Voters want to see progressive policies, voting rights law enacted

Aside from economic concerns, Black voters want progressive social policies enacted. A little over 70% of voters supported Roe v. Wade, which the Supreme Court struck down last month.

And the TCP found that nearly a third of participants listed voting rights as their top priority. However, Democrats fell short on a promise to vote on a Senate rule change that would have helped usher through a voting rights bill in January.

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An overwhelmingly percent of those surveyed, 72%, support an eviction and foreclosure ban, and 77% support rent and mortgage cancellations.

More than four in 10 Black voters want the Biden administration to declare white supremacist acts as domestic terrorism, and 40% want white supremacists removed from law enforcement.

Garza said she wants to see the Biden administration take "bold and decisive action" around white nationalist violence.

"One of the things that you can see in this poll, is that increasingly Black voters are concerned about the rising levels of racial terror in this country," Garza said, referencing the Buffalo, New York grocery store massacre and the Uvalde, Texas mass shooting in May as examples.

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Advocates said that tackling these issues will be key to turning out the Black vote in November.

"Black voters are showing up over and over again, to move forward a bold agenda that lifts all of America," Garza said. "And now what we need to see is our elected officials stepping up and stepping forward."

Black voters could make a difference in key states like Georgia

Although Black voters appear frustrated with Democratic leadership, advocates don't believe they will sit out midterm elections.

Deborah Scott, executive director of the civic engagement group Georgia STAND UP, believes that high-profile races in the Peach State featuring Black candidates (notably Stacey Abram's gubernatorial race and Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock's reelection against Republican Herschel Walker), Black voters will vote in huge numbers this November.

"There is voter fatigue, if you will," Scott said. "But I think it's part of our job as community organizations to help them translate some of these economic issues and their pocketbook issues with what's happening on these elections."

Another poll – this one from the Atlanta-Journal Constitution should give Democrats cause for concern. Abrams is underperforming among Black voters. Abrams is polling at 80% when Georgia Democrats normally garner 90% of the Black electorate.

Georgia isn't the only state with high-profile races featuring Black candidates. In Florida, Democratic Rep. Val Demings is running for a Senate seat, as is Democrat Cheri Beasley in North Carolina. Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes is running for the Democratic Senate nomination. California Democratic Rep. Karen Bass is running in Los Angeles' mayoral race.

Better engagement with the Black community

Mondale Robinson, founder of the Black Male Voter Project, said Democrats must engage in genuine communication with the Black community year-round as opposed to solely during election season.

"You can't show up two months before the election with the proverbial fried chicken or church fan, telling Black people this is the most important election and this is the most important candidate," Robinson said.

Robinson said he especially wants meaningful engagement when it comes to Black male voters.

"What Democrats have to do is be honest with themselves," Robinson said. "Their lack of engagement with Black men, specifically, and Black people in general is detrimental to their path to hold control of Congress. And also some key Senate races this year."

In the meantime, groups like Black to the Future Fund, Georgia STAND UP and Black Male Voter Project are doing civic engagement among Black communities before November.

"We have canvassers out and phone bankers as well as voter registration folks," Scott, of Georgia STAND UP, said. "Our job is to get them to understand that they have the power to elect and unelect. They have the power to put people in office and they have the power to take people out, all with that vote."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Black voters poll: economy, voting rights key priorities in midterms