If Kamala Harris receives the nomination from the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in August, she will become the first African American and South Asian woman nominated to the U.S. presidential ticket by any major political party.
In her 2015 book, political scientist Evelyn Simien demonstrates that historic firsts like this matter for political mobilization. Simien shows that historic firsts like presidential candidates Shirley Chisolm in 1972, Jesse Jackson in 1988, and Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in 2008 had a mobilizing effect on marginalized communities.
In our survey research with Black women voters, we see a similar dynamic. This helps explain how Harris could harness that same kind of “historic first” momentum over the next 100 days.
How we conducted our research
We surveyed 2,284 Black women voters in March 2022, in the lead-up to the 2022 midterm elections. We used a Qualtrics online survey panel, an opt-in survey community. Qualtrics relies on its internal targeting to send targeted email invites to the requested sample, which in this study was a nationally representative sample of self-identified Black women. Our sample was evenly balanced on regional variables to ensure that we didn’t have an oversample of Black women from the South – where America’s Black population is geographically concentrated.
Few studies examine Black women in isolation, which is what makes our study novel. Here are some of our key findings.
Having Harris on the 2020 ballot increased Black women’s enthusiasm
To understand Black women’s evaluations of Vice President Harris, we asked: “Did Joe Biden’s selection of Kamala Harris to be his [2020] vice-presidential running mate make you more enthusiastic about his candidacy, less enthusiastic about his candidacy, or doesn’t it make a difference?”
More than half (54%) of all Black women in our survey felt more enthusiastic about Joe Biden’s candidacy in 2020 because he selected Kamala Harris as his running mate. We refer to these as the “more enthusiastic” Black women. For 39% of respondents, the selection didn’t make a difference. Only 6% of Black women said they were less enthusiastic about Biden’s candidacy after he selected Harris. We refer to these as the “less enthusiastic” participants in our study.
How Black women’s enthusiasm could translate into political action
This enthusiasm had implications for Black women’s political engagement. Of the women most enthusiastic about Biden’s selection of Harris as his running mate in 2020, 21% followed the 2022 midterm elections closely. That is nearly ten times more than the less enthusiastic Black women in our sample.
In 2022, we also observed more enthusiastic Black women reporting they discussed politics with family and friends more (86%) than the less enthusiastic group (71%). The more enthusiastic group also reported they wore campaign swag like t-shirts and hats supporting specific candidates more (26%) than those who were less enthusiastic (12%). Most importantly, the more enthusiastic Black women in our study were twice as likely to report donating to political campaigns (25%) than the less enthusiastic group (13%).
Across multiple indicators (including other measures not discussed here), we found Black women who were most enthusiastic about Biden’s selection of Harris as his running mate in 2020 engaged in politics to a greater extent than other Black women in our sample. If 2024 follows this pattern, we may see record levels of political engagement among Black women beyond the ballot box.
Black women are mobilizing support for Harris through social networks
Black women voters have a well-documented history of harnessing their social capital, resources, and networks to organize and participate in politics. The day President Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race, over 44,000 Black women joined a Zoom call to strategize.
That Zoom call, organized by Win with Black Women, transformed into a massive fundraising effort, raising more than $1.5 million. Of special note: 60% of donors were first-time and small donors. This is important because Black women candidates typically receive fewer financial campaign contributions than their non-Black opponents. Black women and Latinas have less-desirable jobs, lower earnings, and higher poverty rates – and, thus, fewer spare funds to contribute to political campaigns.
Subsequent Zoom calls have drawn large numbers of Black men, Latinas, young people, and White women. Inspired by the enthusiasm of Black women, other racial and age groups appear to be building momentum to support the Harris campaign.
Can Harris count on these organizations as well?
Harris may have another group mobilizing on her behalf: the Divine Nine, the Black Greek Letter Organizations that make up the National Pan-Hellenic Council. Collectively, these organizations have thousands of chapters – and an estimated 4 million college-educated African Americans as members.
Social media posts from members of these Black sororities and fraternities – including Harris’ sisters of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated – portray a wave of enthusiasm for her presidential run. These fraternities and sororities have a long tradition of public service to uplift the African American community. Many chapters have spent decades working on voter registration, education, and mobilization and providing platforms for members to become politically engaged.
These organizations also advocate for issues that impact Black communities. At the White House in 2021, for instance, Harris met with Divine Nine leaders in support of Biden’s agenda on voting rights. The Divine Nine can be crucial to her electoral success in November, specifically in battleground states.
Enthusiasm can be infectious
We also know that enthusiasm is a potent force for voters of color, specifically Black voters. Voters with positive emotions – like hope and enthusiasm – are often more willing to engage in collective action and turn out to vote on Election Day. As the presidential race played out earlier this year, many pundits noted a distinct enthusiasm gap for Biden’s reelection bid.
With Kamala Harris now tapped to head up the November ballot, many voters seem more enthusiastic about the “historic first.” And they are also fired up to make such firsts a reality.
Nadia E. Brown is a professor in the government department and director of the women’s and gender studies program at Georgetown University. She is an expert in Black women’s politics and is the author of Sisters in the Statehouse.
Christine M. Slaughter is an assistant professor of political science at Boston University. She was a contributor to the 2020 CMPS. The study of Black women was funded by the Idol Family Fellowship Program in the Anne Welsh McNulty Institute for Women’s Leadership at Villanova University.
