Black voters helped Biden win Georgia in 2020. Some say it’s too risky to abandon him now

CNN —

Alanna Morris tuned in to last month’s presidential debate hoping to watch President Joe Biden “wipe the floor” with former President Donald Trump.

Instead, the 44-year-old Atlanta cardiologist saw a candidate she hardly recognized. She turned the event off halfway through, feeling sad and concerned the president had suffered a medical event like a stroke.

That disappointment, however, hasn’t dissuaded her from her plan to vote for the president. She finds the alternative – a second Trump term – untenable.

“Don’t rock the boat unless you have a plan to get me back to shore,” she said. “Getting me to shore is making sure that Donald Trump is not in office come January 2025.”

Four years ago, Black voters saved Biden’s bid for the Democratic presidential nomination after his poor finishes in predominantly White early voting states. Now, that support within the Black community – from battleground state voters and Black leaders – serves as one of the last bulwarks against a growing number of lawmakers and donors asking him to pass the torch.

That support is seen in Georgia, which was crucial to the president’s past political success. Biden became the first Democrat to win Georgia since 1992, when he defeated Trump by less than 12,000 votes.

But repeating that victory will be a challenge. In a new memo to Democrats this week, the Biden campaign argued that its “clearest path” to winning in November runs through the so-called Blue Wall states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, suggesting that Georgia – as well as other battlegrounds like Nevada, Arizona and North Carolina – aren’t as competitive.

Any path to victory for Biden in the Peach State this year will depend on the continued support of Black