Racine County results show why Biden seeks to secure Black voters' support
RACINE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- When President Joe Biden walked into a room of about 40, mostly Black, voters Wednesday afternoon, the first thing he brought up was his first campaign for U.S. Senate in 1972.
The president noted he's long relied on the support of Black voters, and his campaign is making clear those votes will once again be necessary this fall if Mr. Biden is to be reelected.
"When I run in [my home state of] Delaware -- not a joke -- I get 90% of the African-American vote," Mr. Biden said. "In off-years and [presidential election] years, because you're the most loyal constituency."
Wednesday afternoon's stop at the Bryant Community Center followed the president's remarks at Gateway Technical College, where he touted Microsoft's commitment to invest $3.3 billion in a data center on Mount Pleasant property that had originally been cleared and reserved for Foxconn.
The invite-only event was part of a new push from Mr. Biden's re-election campaign to secure the votes of Black, Latino and Asian voters. Campaign officials said they're spending $14 million this month on advertising targeting those demographic groups.
Recent election results in Racine County illustrate why Mr. Biden's campaign is launching a push to shore up the support of groups that have traditionally backed Democrats.
Racine County had long been a bellwether state, with the candidate who won the county carrying Wisconsin in every presidential election between 2000 and 2016. That trend broke in 2020 when former President Donald Trump won the county by more than 4,300 votes despite losing Wisconsin by nearly 21,000 votes.
The only Democratic candidate to win Racine County since 2000 was former President Barack Obama, who won the county by fewer than 4,000 votes in 2012 and by nearly 7,500 votes in 2008.
Mr. Trump won Racine County en route to taking Wisconsin as he upset former U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. Mr. Trump won the state by nearly 4,100 votes eight years ago.
Reporters were allowed to be in the room for about 15 minutes during President Biden's remarks Wednesday. After telling the story of his first Senate election, Mr. Biden quipped, "You've got some senators I'd like to see change" in an apparent reference to Republican Senator Ron Johnson.
Mr. Biden then told the audience he believed democracy was at stake in this year's election. He referred to an interview he did earlier in the day with CNN and said he was asked if he believed Mr. Trump was being serious when he would not commit to accepting the election results in an interview last week with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
"She asked the question, whether I thought Trump- did he mean what he said when he said, basically, he's not gonna accept the results of the election," Mr. Biden said. "I said he won't. He won't."
During a press call with reporters earlier in the day, Wisconsin Republicans said the president's Microsoft event and renewed push to target Black, Latino and Asian voters were an effort to deflect from frustrations over the lingering effects of inflation.
"What we had previously [under former President Trump] was economic policies that was helping lift up all groups," Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Janesville) said. "In particular, those groups that have found themselves historically disadvantaged."
Outside the community center, a youth flag football team held a practice long after the president and attendees left. The coach, Daryl Carter, had the team do sprints and jumping jacks before getting into drills.
When asked issued mattered most to him and what he wanted to see from a presidential candidate, Carter was straight to the point.
"Jobs, schools, programs for the children, Carter said. "Cut out some of the red tape. Don't just write it on paper, be about it."
Regarding the issues that matter most to Wisconsin voters, it's a mixed bag. Last month's Marquette Law Poll found respondents were torn over who performed best on the four issues they ranked most important: The economy, immigration, abortion, and Medicare/Social Security.
Voters preferred Mr. Trump on the economy and immigration while favoring President Biden on abortion and Medicare/Social Security.
Overall, Mr. Trump had a slight edge among likely Wisconsin voters, 51% to 49%. However, a Quinnipiac poll released Wednesday found Mr. Biden with a six-point lead over Mr. Trump, 50% to 44%, although the gap was just one point when putting Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. on the hypothetical ballot.
Ultimately, the only thing that matters is turnout this fall, and that explains why both candidates have come to Wisconsin over the past seven days. Mr. Trump held a rally Waukesha last week after visiting Green Bay in early April.
Wednesday's visit marked President Biden's fourth trip to Wisconsin this year, and Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to make her fourth visit to the Badger State with a stop in Milwaukee next Thursday.