In the wake of the 2024 election cycle, one of the most consequential and talked-about issues has been the underperformance of **Kamala Harris**, the first female, Black, and South Asian Vice President of the United States, in securing significant support from Black voters—particularly in key swing states like Michigan, Georgia, and Pennsylvania. Despite her historic candidacy and the overwhelming support she received from Black voters in the 2020 election, Harris’ political influence has faced increased scrutiny. Many in the Black community—who were instrumental in Joe Biden’s victory—have expressed disappointment over her failure to inspire the same level of enthusiasm in 2024.
For many Black voters, Harris’ underperformance wasn’t just a political issue but a reflection of deeper frustrations with a political system that has often failed to deliver substantive change in the areas that matter most—economic empowerment, criminal justice reform, healthcare, and wealth equity. While some continue to stand by her, many are asking tough questions about her political impact, the effectiveness of her policy initiatives, and whether she has truly represented the diverse needs and aspirations of the Black community.
### The 2024 Election Context
The 2024 elections were critical for the Democratic Party, which had already faced backlash in previous years for not fully delivering on its promises to marginalized communities, particularly Black voters. As Vice President, Harris was supposed to serve as both a symbol of progress and a catalyst for change. Her leadership on racial justice, economic inequality, and healthcare was expected to resonate strongly with the Black community, but the results were mixed at best.
In several battleground states, particularly Michigan and Georgia, where Black voters make up a significant portion of the electorate, Harris was seen as a weak link. While many still admired her groundbreaking rise to national office, a growing chorus of Black voters voiced concerns that Harris had failed to leverage her position effectively to enact the kind of systemic changes that would improve the lives of ordinary Black Americans.
### Disappointment with Policy Impact: Economic and Social Justice
One of the most significant factors driving Black voters’ disillusionment with Harris is her perceived inability to push forward bold, transformative policies on economic and social justice issues. While Harris has been a vocal advocate for racial justice, police reform, and economic inclusion, many in the Black community feel that her time in office has been marked more by symbolic gestures than substantive change.
For example, the Biden administration, under Harris’ leadership, made strides with the **American Rescue Plan**, which provided economic relief to millions of Americans, including extended unemployment benefits and stimulus payments. However, many Black voters were frustrated by the absence of more direct, long-term investments in Black communities—such as large-scale investment in education, healthcare, and affordable housing.
**Tyrell Johnson**, a Detroit-based community organizer, shared his frustration: “Kamala Harris came in with a lot of hype, but we’re still dealing with the same problems. We need more than just rhetoric about ‘justice.’ We need real investments in our communities.” Johnson emphasized that while the Biden-Harris administration had made incremental progress on issues like policing (with the passage of the **George Floyd Justice in Policing Act**), it wasn’t enough to satisfy the deeper, structural changes that many Black voters had been expecting after the 2020 election.
The Biden administration’s inability to secure sweeping federal action on critical issues like police accountability, economic relief for Black businesses, or meaningful reparations for historical injustices led many voters to feel that Harris, as Vice President, was not able to push these priorities through the legislative process in a way that made a real difference.
### Criminal Justice Reform: A Continued Struggle
Criminal justice reform, which was one of the central issues for Black voters in the 2020 elections, remained a flashpoint in the 2024 cycle. Although Harris had a record as a former prosecutor, her tenure as VP and her role in advancing criminal justice reform was met with skepticism. Many voters—especially those in communities heavily impacted by mass incarceration and police violence—were disillusioned by the lack of progress on police reform and the failure to pass legislation like the **People’s Response Act**, which would have provided alternatives to policing.
**Nia Roberts**, a social justice activist from Atlanta, explained, “The people who have been calling for reform, who are organizing in the streets for Black lives, have not felt like Kamala is in touch with their struggle. There’s been a lot of talk, but when it came time to push for change, we didn’t see the results.”
For many Black voters, Harris’ record as a prosecutor in California raised concerns about her ability to be the transformative leader needed to address systemic racism in the criminal justice system. Despite her strong advocacy for police accountability, critics argued that her past as a prosecutor sometimes clashed with the more radical demands of grassroots activists who had called for defunding the police and rethinking law enforcement altogether. These complex contradictions further contributed to a sense of disconnect with Harris’ leadership in the Black community.
### Harris’ Representation of Black America: Symbol vs. Substance
Another area of concern for many Black voters was the difference between **symbolic** progress and **substantive** change. Kamala Harris’ election as the first female, Black, and South Asian Vice President was seen by many as a historic milestone. Her rise to the second-highest office in the land was a moment of pride for many Black Americans, particularly Black women, who had long been underrepresented in political leadership.
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