Photo illustration by Eric Thomas for Kansas Reflector
According to new poll findings from strategic communications firm Climate Power, climate change is a major priority among Black voters in battleground states, with climate and energy issues serving as a major motivator to vote.
The poll, conducted by the Washington, D.C.-based research firm HIT Strategies, surveyed 1,000 Black registered voters across Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
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According to the findings, 58% of Black voters in battleground states view climate change as a major priority, with 29% saying it was somewhat of a priority in their voted decisions for the 2024 presidential election. 14% responded it was a low priority, or not a priority for their decision.
While the poll found Vice President Kamala Harris has a solid lead over former President Donald Trump among Black voters in battleground states, climate and energy also proved to be a winning issue for the Democratic nominee, with more than 80% of voters saying they trusted Harris over Trump on issues of clean energy and climate change.
Polling from HIT Strategies and Climate Power breaks down support for candidates in the 2024 election among Black voters in battleground states. | HIT Strategies
Black battleground voters, particularly baby boomers, reported both high levels of motivation to vote, as well as high levels of empowerment that their vote could create change. However, messaging on clean energy and climate change increased motivation for 33% of Black voters.
Additionally, support for Harris grew across all age groups after exposure to climate change and clean energy messaging, with a particular impact among young voters.
Polling found that Black swing voters tend to be nonpartisan, Gen Z and Me, groups with whom Harris still sees strong support. Among these swing voters 31% listed climate change as their top or major priority in the election, while 39% said it was somewhat of a priority.
Polling also found that Black voters strongly preferred candidates who supported efforts on climate and clean energy than candidates who supported relying on oil and gas, with 79% of voters surveyed saying they’d be more likely to support a candidate who “would reduce our reliance on foreign oil, lower electricity bills, and would create good-paying, union jobs across the country while protecting the country from the impacts of climate change and pollution.”
In contrast, 21% of Black voters said they would support a candidate who “says that America has the oil and gas resources to be energy independent if we just use them and will fight to get rid of environmental regulations and red tape that are driving up prices, destroying jobs in the fossil fuel industry, and hurting Americans’ pocketbooks.”
Polling of Black voters in presidential battleground states showed stronger support for a candidate in support of clean energy and climate progress than support for oil and gas reliance. | HIT strategies.
When polled on Project 2025, the conservative Heritage Foundation’s list of far-right policy priorities crafted for a future Republican presidential administration, a majority of Black swing voters expressed concern.
Sixty-six percent of swing voters said they were somewhat or very concerned by the following statement: “Donald Trump’s extremist Project 2025 will harm our communities and put our children in grave danger. It would eliminate the National Weather Service as we know it, which alerts us about storms, fires, and other extreme weather events. Trump’s allies would dismantle environmental protections, allowing corporate polluters to dump toxic waste into our rivers and skies. Project 2025 would lead to 1.7 million lost jobs in our communities. We must vote against Trump and prevent his extremist agenda from harming our families.”
While Trump has repeatedly denied any connection to Project 2025, a review from CNN found that 140 members of the Trump administration, including six former cabinet secretaries, were listed as authors, editors and contributors on the effort’s 900-plus page “Mandate for Leadership.”
According to a report from the Washington Post, the former president also flew with Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts to a conference in 2022 where Trump delivered a speech pointing to the foundation’s not-yet-released policy proposals, saying “They’re going to lay the groundwork and detail plans for exactly what our movement will do.”