Black Men Vote PAC endorsed 14 Democratic candidates Friday in some of the nation’s most consequential gubernatorial and congressional races, including contests in Georgia, Michigan, Texas and Mississippi.
The Oct. 23 endorsements come less than two weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections. They include Georgia gubernatorial nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms and U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff. The organization is also backing Senate candidates James Talarico in Texas, Scott Colom in Mississippi and Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan.
Black Men Vote PAC said it selected candidates based on issues affecting Black men and working families. Those priorities include jobs, entrepreneurship, housing, health care, education and opportunities to build wealth.
“Black men are not just a voting bloc to be courted in the final weeks of an election,” Michael Bland, the PAC’s executive director, said in announcing the endorsements. “We are fathers, entrepreneurs, professionals, and community leaders building careers, creating opportunities, and working to secure a better future for our families.”
Black male voters remain a key electoral constituency
The endorsements arrive as both major parties compete for Black male voters following shifts in the 2024 presidential election.
Pew Research Center’s analysis of validated 2024 voters found 21% of Black men supported President Donald Trump. Overall, Trump received 15% of the Black vote, compared with 8% in 2020.
Still, Black voters remain heavily Democratic heading into the midterms. A Pew survey conducted from Sept. 28 through Oct. 4 found 70% of Black registered voters preferred the Democratic candidate in their U.S. House district. Seven percent preferred the Republican.
That political environment gives organizations focused specifically on Black men a potentially important role in turnout efforts.
Federal Election Commission records classify Black Men Vote PAC as an independent-expenditure-only super PAC. The committee has operated federally since 2012.
The PAC’s website says it works to register, organize and mobilize Black men. The organization also says it conducted voter engagement efforts in Georgia during the 2020 presidential and Senate runoff elections.
Endorsements stretch across several battlegrounds
The PAC endorsed six candidates for governor: Bottoms in Georgia, Jocelyn Benson in Michigan, Aaron Ford in Nevada, Amy Acton in Ohio, Josh Shapiro in Pennsylvania and David Crowley in Wisconsin.
Its Senate endorsements went to Angie Nixon in Florida, Ossoff in Georgia, El-Sayed in Michigan, Colom in Mississippi, Sherrod Brown in Ohio’s special election and Talarico in Texas.
The group also endorsed Democratic Reps. Shomari Figures in Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District and Don Davis in North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District.
Several of those races carry national implications.
In Mississippi, Colom is challenging Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in a state that has not elected a Democrat to the Senate in decades. If elected, Colom would become the first Black politician elected statewide in Mississippi since Reconstruction.
In Texas, Talarico is facing Republican Ken Paxton in a race attracting extraordinary national spending and attention.
Meanwhile, El-Sayed’s Michigan Senate campaign is competing in another closely watched contest that could help determine control of the chamber.
Bland said the organization wants candidates to address economic concerns in concrete terms.
“Can they afford a home? Do they have access to careers with opportunities for advancement? Can they start a business, provide for their families, and build wealth for the next generation?” Bland said. “Those are the conversations we expect candidates to have, and those are the results we expect them to deliver.”
The PAC said its work will continue after Election Day, including efforts to hold elected officials accountable to the Black men whose votes candidates are seeking.
