Black voters backing Biden, but not with 2020 enthusiasm

May 7, 2023  -COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — LaJoia Broughton, a 41-year-old small-business owner, considers herself a fan of President Joe Biden.

He’s provided opportunities for Black-owned business while bringing integrity to the White House, she said. Her decision for 2024 is not in doubt.

“Biden has proven himself in the last few years, and I’ll be voting for him in the next election,” said Broughton, who owns a lobbying and public affairs firm in Columbia, South Carolina’s capital city.

Destiny Humphreys is less enthusiastic. The 22-year-old senior at South Carolina State University, the state’s only public historically Black college or university, or HBCU, said she’s disappointed in the president, feeling his accomplishments have so far not lived up to his promises.

“Honestly, I feel like right now America is in a state of emergency. We need some real change,” said Humphreys, who remains unsure about her vote in next year’s election.

After a dismal start to his 2020 presidential campaign, Black voters in South Carolina rallied behind Biden, reviving his White House ambitions by driving his Democratic rivals from the race and ultimately putting him on a path to defeating then-President Donald Trump. But at the outset of Biden’s reelection bid, the conflicting views among the same voters provide an early warning sign of the challenges he faces as he aims to revive the diverse coalition that proved so crucial to him before.