With the midterms less than a month away, new polling shows black voters are swinging toward the Republican Party in historical numbers as the economy and inflation continue to be top election issues.
Among black voters, 52% believe the U.S. is headed in the wrong direction, and 18% say they will vote for the Republican candidate if the election were held today, according to the New York Times/ Siena Poll.
The number of black voters supporting GOP candidates has been trending upward since the 2016 elections when former President Donald Trump received just 8% of black voter support. Trump fared better in the 2020 presidential election, with the exit polls showing him gaining 4-points among black voters, garnering 12% of the vote, CBS News reported.
“The economy remained a far more potent issue than abortion.” This has been clear in the data for months. pic.twitter.com/mY80XAFCh3
— Tom Bevan (@TomBevanRCP) October 17, 2022
Inflation and the economy, including jobs and the stock market, were the two most important problems among black voters, the polling showed. Twenty-two percent of black voters ranked the economy as their top concern, and 17% said put inflation as their second highest issue plaguing the U.S., data showed. (RELATED: ANALYSIS: Democrats Are Slipping With Their Most Important Demographic)
The top concerns among black voters are also responsible for the shift showing all voters favoring Republican candidates “by more than a two-to-one margin,” according to The New York Times. “With inflation unrelenting and the stock market steadily on the decline, the share of like voters who said economic concerns were the most important issues facing America has leaped since July to 44 percent from 36 percent – far higher than any other issue,” The New York Times reported.
The New York Times/ Siena College poll surveyed 792 registered voters nationwide from Oct. 9-12 with a margin of error of +/- 4%.