The Deciders February 2024: African American voters in North Carolina

Key Takeaways

Focus group participants talked about their views on Joe Biden and Donald Trump and revealed who would have their vote
They also discussed their opinions on Kamala Harris and their worries about the U.S. economy
These voters don’t feel like Trump understands their needs, especially after hearing remarks he made about his indictments during a speech in February

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During the 2024 election year, voters from several significant demographic groups will likely play a large role in deciding the presidential race. The Deciders, a hyperlocal reporting initiative from NBC News, puts a spotlight on these critical voters, providing detailed coverage from seven counties across the country. The project includes check-ins with voters during monthly focus groups led by a partnership between Engagious, Sago, and Syracuse University’s Institute for Democracy, Journalism, and Citizenship.

One of the key voting blocks for the 2024 election is African American voters, a block that Joe Biden doesn’t want to alienate and that Donald Trump is trying to attract. In February, The Deciders spoke with 14 African American voters in North Carolina. They’re not pleased with Biden or Trump. During the conversation, they discussed their perspectives on both candidates, their views of Kamala Harris, and their thoughts about the U.S. economy.

Quick Views on the Presidential Candidates

At the beginning of the conversation, the participants were asked to choose one word to that came to mind for each candidate. Six people described Biden as “old.” Other words used were “fragile,” “incompetent,” “slow,” and “failure.”

When asked for words they associated with Trump, the responses included “grifter,” “disgusted,” “rich” and “powerful.” Two people said “crazy,” and three voters used the word “racist.”

Voting Preferences of the February 2024 Focus Group

Despite how the North Carolina voters described the current president, 13 of them would vote for Biden in a two-way race. Only one would vote for Trump.

However, if the ballot featured five candidates, here’s how the votes would be allocated:

Joe Biden: 5
Donald Trump: 2
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: 1
Jill Stein: 1
Cornel West: 1

Among the 14 participants, two people said they might not vote at all. One voter said she chose Biden in 2020 but wasn’t enthusiastic about him as a candidate and doesn’t like the idea of voting for him again. Here are some of her thoughts:

“I know for a fact I’m not voting for Trump, so if I don’t want to vote for Biden either, then my choice is to not vote.”

“I don’t know what November is actually going to look like for me. I don’t know if policy is going to go. I don’t know if my student loan forgiveness is going to take. I don’t know what’s going to happen before then. But, as of now, I have no preference. If we voted today, I probably wouldn’t vote.”

Opinions on Vice President Kamala Harris

When asked about their opinions of Vice President Kamala Harris, the 14 North Carolina voters did not speak very highly of her. Only two of them said they’d like to see her become President in the future.

Some of the words they used to describe her were “inauthentic,” “invisible,” “absent,” and “submissive.” The group also had this to say about Harris:

“Where is she?”

“She’s inexperienced … as they say, she’s a token. He wanted to get the Black vote.”

“I hope she’s working, but she’s in the background, and we can’t see it.”

“[Biden] just put her there just to fool the Black people.”

“She talks a good game; that’s about it.”

Reactions to Recent Comments from Trump

While campaigning for the 2024 election, Trump is working to appeal to Black voters. However, his efforts don’t seem to be effective. Of the 14 North Carolina voters that were part of the February focus groups, nine think he’s racist.

The participants were shown clips from a speech Trump gave at the Black Conservative Federation Gala in February. He talked about being indicted on behalf of African Americans and suggested they wear T-shirts with his mug shot on them to show solidarity with him. After seeing this video, none of the 14 focus group participants thought that Trump understood the concerns of African Americans.

Here are some of their responses to Trump’s speech:

“It feels like he thinks we’re all criminals, you know, that we all have mug shots, we all have friends with mug shots, so that would appeal to us. That doesn’t appeal to me and I don’t think that appeals to the mass majority of Black people.”

“I don’t think that he takes Black people seriously. I do feel like, low key, we’re actually laughing at him by buying those T-shirts and wearing them.”

“I mean, that’s probably one of the most racist comments he’s ever made.”

Perspectives on the Economy

These voters, like those surveyed in January’s The Deciders focus groups, are uneasy about the U.S. economy. Ten out of the 14 said the country’s economy is in lousy shape. Here are some of their concerns:

“Inflation.”

“Everybody’s going through a housing crisis right now, so that’s like the biggest indicator for me. Nobody can afford rent.”

“Being that I am a Black woman and we do not have as many wealth and resources, speaking about pay gaps and things like that, I feel like it’s going to be lousy for anyone in my position.”

“I’m sure the numbers are statistically accurate, but they haven’t been statistically significant. If it was a significant change in those areas, then it would be obvious. We could all see it and we could feel it in our day-to-day lives.”

Stay tuned for The Deciders future check-ins with voters.