Black voters feel excitement, hope and a lot of worry as Harris takes center stage in campaign

ATLANTA (AP) — Black voters expressed a mix of hope and worry Monday over Joe Biden’s exit from the presidential race and the prospect of Vice President Kamala Harris becoming the Democratic nominee.

A key Democratic constituency, Black voters helped power Biden to victory in the 2020 primaries and ultimately to the White House, and they were among his most steadfast supporters, even as calls for him to quit grew. But as much pride as some Black Americans feel about the possibility of Harris, who is of Black and Indian descent, becoming president, the upending of the race has some voters feeling scared.

“I felt like we were doomed,” said Brianna Smith, a 24-year-old school counselor from Decatur, Georgia, recounting her reaction to Biden’s announcement. “I don’t see America actually accepting the fact that a Black woman is running for president.”

Biden’s support of Harris and the immediate coalescing of other party leaders around her makes her the prohibitive favorite to replace him at the top of the presidential ticket. But in interviews in Atlanta, where voters helped flip Georgia for Democrats four years ago, some Black voters were nervous.

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