Black voters’ diminishing loyalty to the Democratic party may seal Harris’s fate.

Kamala Harris’ rapid rise in the polls masks her ongoing struggle to connect with black voters.

If she fails to improve this by Election Day, her chances of winning key swing states will be at risk.

Her campaign is aware of this potential weakness, which is why her highly publicized bus tour through southeastern Georgia included stops in black-heavy areas such as Liberty County and a historically black college.

With Savannah, the location of Harris’ final rally on the tour, being majority black and having given President Biden over 75% of the vote in 2020, it underscores the importance of black voters in her campaign.

Black voters, both in Georgia and nationwide, have been a cornerstone of the Democratic Party for decades, consistently supporting Democratic candidates by significant margins. This makes their support crucial for Harris to succeed in key swing states.

Currently, Harris leads Trump among black voters by 56 points, according to the Cook Political Report’s polling average. While this margin may seem impressive, it would be the lowest recorded for a Democratic nominee among black voters since the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The stakes are high in swing states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, where black voters played a significant role in Biden’s victory in 2020. Harris will need to secure strong support from black voters to have a chance at winning these states once again.

Both candidates, Trump and Harris, will need to focus on appealing to black voters in order to secure their support. Harris must address concerns that some black voters have with the current administration, while Trump may tout economic statistics to sway voters in his favor.

As the campaign progresses, Harris may seek to appeal to racial sentiments to rally support. However, changing demographics and shifting attitudes among younger black voters may present challenges in retaining their loyalty to the Democratic Party.

Harris’s recent visits to predominantly white communities indicate a need to strengthen support among black voters, who have traditionally been a reliable voting bloc for Democrats.

Her efforts to engage with black voters in Georgia demonstrate the importance of their support in securing a victory. The success of her outreach to black voters could ultimately determine the outcome of the election.

Henry Olsen, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, is a political analyst and commentator.