On Thursday’s episode of The Excerpt podcast: Black voters have historically voted reliably Democrat. Now, these voters are approaching this election is a more nuanced way. Is there a significant generational divide when it comes to engaging in politics, and when it comes to choosing a political party? USA TODAY reporters looked at a variety of issues and topics, ranging from climate change to retirement planning, through the lens of generations old, aging, and young. USA TODAY National Columnist Suzette Hackney joins The Excerpt to share how Black voters across swing states feel about the 2024 presidential election.
Hit play on the player below to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript beneath it. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.
Dana Taylor:
Hello and welcome to The Excerpt. I’m Dana Taylor. Today is Thursday, October 17th, 2024, and this is a special episode of The Excerpt. How will Black voters impact the 2024 election? Is there a significant generational divide when it comes to engaging in politics and when it comes to choosing a political party? USA Today reporters looked at a variety of issues and topics ranging from climate change to retirement planning through the lens of generations old, aging, and young. USA Today national columnist, Suzette Hackney spoke with Black voters from gen Z to boomers across swing states to gauge how they’re feeling about the 2024 presidential election. Thanks for joining me, Suzette.
Suzette Hackney:
Hi there, Dana. Thank you for having me.
Dana Taylor:
Suzette, like you, I grew up in a household where I was taught it was imperative to vote. Shortly after my 18th birthday, my mother said, “Let’s go.” She didn’t ask. We just went and I registered. In your reporting, you cited polls showing that more Black Americans are now on the fence about whether they’re going to vote this November compared to four years ago. Some of those polls were taken when President Biden was still in the race. Has that shifted at all? What are you seeing there?
Suzette Hackney:
There has certainly been a shift. When I started this project, I’d say about six months ago, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump were the presumptive nominees for their respective parties. I spoke with dozens of Black voters in the seven battleground states, and there seemed to be a sense of dread in some cases. In other cases, there was a sense of resolve, well, I guess we have to choose the lesser of two evils. There was a sense that neither of these men could be transformational in leading the United States into the future. They were too old, both of them, too caught in the system, both of them. But when Vice President Kamala Harris entered the race, I heard an immediate sigh of relief. There was no longer a reason to weaponize Joe Biden’s age. She was bringing new energy. She was bringing new hope for the future.
Dana Taylor:
Was there a divide between older voters, gen X and boomers and younger Black voters, and understanding the importance of, or even having an awareness of the Voting Rights Act of 1965?
Suzette Hackney:
So the thesis of my project was exactly that, to examine how the power of voting resonates generationally. Black baby boomers and gen X-ers tend to find it a moral obligation to vote. They were either raised during the fight for voting rights or they were raised by people who fought for voting rights. It’s been deeply important for them to have their voices heard at the polls. Millennials and gen Z-ers, not as much. Those who I talked to, they were more inclined to vote based on policy, what’s important to them. And if they don’t like a candidate, they don’t feel obligated to vote. Gen Z-ers in particular, are very torn about the conflict in Gaza and how it’s been handled by the Biden-Harris administration.
So many of them have said that they’re going to use their voice by withholding their vote. But through all of this, I met this dynamic 17-year-old from Vegas. He’s a high school senior. He’s already registered to vote. He won’t be eligible to vote in this next month’s election. But he’s so civically engaged. He wants to learn everything he can about America’s political structure. He wants to be informed so that by the time he does get to go to the polls, he knows everything. And honestly, that’s been very refreshing to see.
Dana Taylor:
Black voters have long been part of the backbone of the Democratic Party. What changes are you seeing there, especially with young Black voters?
Suzette Hackney:
Well, I think it’s assumed that Black voters, young and old, are beholden to the Democratic Party. Certainly Black voters have historically voted Democrat, but there have been shifts here and there, particularly among the younger generation. I don’t think we’re going to see a big run of Black voters moving to the Republican Party, and I don’t think there are going to be tremendous gains for former President Donald Trump among that demographic. But there are voters who told me that they align more with the Republican Party, with the policies, with the ideologies. They’re concerned about immigration, they’re concerned about reproductive rights, they’re concerned about the economy. I interviewed a 65-year-old man in Pennsylvania who canvassed for President Barack Obama during his first run for presidency. This man has not voted in a presidential election since, because he says he’s been disappointed with the direction of the country.
Dana Taylor:
Did you hear a message from older Black voters to younger Black voters, whether that be about the importance of showing up at the polls or about choosing a political party?
Suzette Hackney:
As I said, among older Black voters I interviewed, they are trying to continue to educate young Black people about the importance of voting. They’re seeing some apathy among them. They’re seeing a systemic decline in voter turnout among Black people, especially young Black people. So these older folks are literally screaming, “Engage, engage, engage. You can’t complain about your lot in life if you don’t engage politically.” So we have to remember, again, these are people who are still connected to the generations before them who were injured or who died to help people register to vote. They’re still connected to their ancestors who faced poll taxes. Those who had to prove that they could vote by counting beans in a jar, those who were turned away, even though they had every right to vote. So the older folks are like, “Listen, please remember where we came from. Please remember what your ancestors did.” And frankly, there’s still some realities of voter suppression. It’s still an issue even in 2024. So many of these voters, older voters feel it’s their duty to work tirelessly to preserve that freedom and what should be a right.
Dana Taylor:
Suzette, the words generational wealth means different things to different people, as in some have it and some don’t. Was there a message there from younger Black voters to older voters, especially those in the Democratic Party?
Suzette Hackney:
Absolutely. So for many young Black voters, and as you said, generational wealth means a lot of different things. But for many young Black voters, it means the ability to buy a home. It’s that they see as something that can remain in a family, something that can be passed down for generations. And frankly, there’s great concern that Black people cannot achieve this American dream. It’s unaffordable. It’s unattainable. And so for young Black voters, I think it’s easy for them to look at older Black voters and say, “Well, you got to buy your house in 1960 or 1970 or 1980, or whatever that looks like. We don’t have that luxury. We don’t make the money that you make. Our economy is a lot different.”
And I think it’s just the question of what is important to pour your money into? Young people realize they still want to own homes, but there are a lot of things they want to do, but a lot of people have… Priorities have shifted as well in politics and how you live your life. So yes, they want to buy a house, but they want to have a nice car and they want to take a trip to Europe and they want to do all of these things, and they’re finding that they’re unable to do it, and there’s a level of frustration there.
Dana Taylor:
You spoke with Black voters across swing states. What stuck out to you as the most important issues, and were they similar across both age and gender? Where were the divides?
Suzette Hackney:
Certainly the economy was a big one and gender, age, it didn’t matter. The affordability of gas, groceries, rent, even though the reality is the president doesn’t dictate or control consumer pricing, it’s the perception. It’s the perception that these candidates should be doing more to offer savings to Americans, those who are struggling to put food on the table. For women, it was reproductive rights. Younger women in particular, those of childbearing age, they feel like they’ve lost control over their bodies. But what was interesting is even older women, older women are concerned for their daughters, for their nieces. These are women who remember the fight for Roe v. Wade, and now they’re watching as all of those rights that were so hard fought for are being taken away.
Dana Taylor:
As you mentioned earlier, systemic racial barriers continue to shape how Black voters participate in elections. What did you hear from some of the people you spoke with? Do some of them feel there is an organized effort, whether that stems from gerrymandering or voter ID laws to disenfranchise their votes?
Suzette Hackney:
Absolutely. And I spoke to some of that, talking about voter suppression, that it’s a very real thing still here in 2024. And that is why the older generation is so frustrated because they know what can happen. They saw what can happen, and so they’re trying to teach those lessons. Like there is an effort to quiet us. There is an effort to silence us, don’t allow it to happen, go vote. The only way that we can continue to keep these rights and to change these efforts is to vote.
Dana Taylor:
Community-based activism has deep roots in the Black church. Do you think the role of the church in political activism and politics overall has diminished or that it remains strong?
Suzette Hackney:
It’s a combination of both. I know that in Black churches in many cities across America, they still will allow, it’s typically local politicians to come in and speak on the issues and talk to the congregation about what’s important. But there are also a lot of religious leaders who want to keep politics out of the pulpit. They have changed that dynamic of having politicians and candidates come through every Sunday and make a pitch for why people should vote for them. That doesn’t mean that they don’t speak about it from the pulpit. That doesn’t mean that they don’t talk about the issues, but just that active world of having people come through churches, it just does not happen as much anymore as it used to.
Dana Taylor:
Donald Trump’s at times racist rhetoric recently targeting Haitian immigrants is not something some voters can overlook. Did you speak to any swing state Black voters who are unbothered by the rhetoric?
Suzette Hackney:
Unbothered? No. But able to look past it? Yes, because there are some Black voters who feel very strongly about immigration, feel very strongly that they are trying to replace us. I heard that more than once, “They, the immigrants, are trying to replace us.” And former president Donald Trump has done a really good job of trying pit immigrants against people, particularly Black men. Trump has spoken about immigrants taking ‘Black jobs.’ Realistically, males are very concerned about the economy, about raising minimum wage, et cetera. And so that kind of rhetoric just plays into their concerns. And I think he’s trying to convince Black voters, Black men in particular, that they are an endangered species because of immigrants.
Dana Taylor:
And finally, Suzette, with less than a month to go until the election, what surprised you the most about still undecided Black voters?
Suzette Hackney:
I would say the thing that surprised me the most is that how many people are still undecided. They’re still reading, which is a good thing, and listening, which is a great thing. It’s a difficult decision for a lot of Black voters who they are going to vote for come November, and that’s shocking to me.
Dana Taylor:
Suzette, thank you so much for being on the excerpt.
Suzette Hackney:
Thank you for having me, Dana.
Dana Taylor:
Thanks to our senior producers, Shannon Rae Green and Kaely Monahan for their production assistance, our executive producer is Laura Beatty. Let us know what you think of this episode by sending a note to podcasts at usatoday.com. Thanks for listening. I’m Dana Taylor. Taylor Wilson will be back tomorrow morning with another episode of The Excerpt.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How will Black voters impact this election? | The Excerpt
