Voters of Color will play a crucial role in who wins the White House. Voters in Philadelphia speak out.
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Hundreds of worshippers gather at Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Center City on any given Sunday. It's the oldest parcel of land owned by Black Americans and home to a crucial voting community heading into the 2024 general election.
"Black voters are concerned about the same thing that every voter is concerned about. People want to see wages go up," said Rev. Mark Kelly Tyler, lead pastor of Mother Bethel AME Church. "They want to make sure if you buy a home, that the equity in it is going to grow and not go in the other direction, they want lower interest rates."
Tyler was a pledged delegate for President Joe Biden. He now is a delegate for Vice President Kamala Harris.
"I think with Black voters there is another piece to it. People are also concerned about the historic inequities in this country that have often plagued the Black community," he said.
According to the latest CBS News polling, if the election were held today, 81% of Black likely voters would cast their ballot for a Harris-Walz ticket compared to just 18% for former President Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance.
The Hispanic vote will also be crucial to the November election.
"These voters are voters that need to be persuaded. They are people who want to understand where candidates stand and ensure those candidates align with their issues," said Diana Robinson, co-deputy director at Make The Road Pennsylvania.
Make the Road Pennsylvania engages Latinx, Black, and working-class communities of color on voting initiatives.
"The Latinx voter is not a monolith. There's so much diversity within the Latinx community, and I think that's something important to consider," said Robinson.
CBS polling shows likely Hispanic voters to be much closer in who they would send to the White House if the election were held today, 52% of likely Hispanic voters would cast their ballot for Harris and Walz compared to 47% for Trump and Vance.
No matter who wins the White House in November, communities of color in Pennsylvania will be a major factor in an election won in the margins.
"Whoever attempts to approach the Black voter as though Black people are a one-dimensional monolith will probably not do so well," said Tyler.
