One in four black men under 50 in the US supports Trump for president, according to a survey by the NAACP

By Stephanie Kelly

NEW YORK (Reuters) – More than a quarter of younger black men would support Republican candidate Donald Trump in this year's U.S. presidential election, an NAACP poll found on Friday.

Black voters have long been the Democrats' most loyal constituency, but during Democratic President Joe Biden's tenure, some younger black voters and black men of all ages lost faith in the Democratic Party. Black voters played a big role in putting Biden in the White House in 2020, and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris hopes to secure their support to win the November 5 presidential election.

Most black voters (63 percent) plan to support Harris, compared to 13 percent for Trump, according to a new NAACP poll of 1,000 registered black voters across the U.S. conducted Aug. 6-12.

But 26 percent of black men under 50 said they supported Trump, while 49 percent supported Harris. Among black men over 50, 77 percent said they supported Harris.

Sixty-seven percent of black women said they supported Harris, while 8 percent said they supported Trump.

The most important issues for black voters, according to the poll, were the economy, crime and public safety, with the cost of food and groceries, housing and utilities representing the greatest economic burdens. Eighty-two percent of black men under 50 cited economic problems as one of the most important issues facing the country today, compared with 75 percent of black women of all ages.

Messages to voters emphasizing that their rights are “under attack” have the greatest chance of motivating undecided voters and younger black men, according to the poll.

(Reporting by Stephanie Kelly; Editing by Heather Timmons and Jonathan Oatis)