AILSA CHANG, HOST:
South Carolina Senator Tim Scott says Black voters, especially Black men, can win the election for former President Trump. Black voters overwhelmingly have supported Democrats for President, but Scott, who's a leading candidate to be Trump's running mate, says he can help Trump chip away at that lead. Scott's political action committee is spending about $15 million to do just that. NPR's Franco Ordoñez is covering the Trump campaign. He's with us now to talk about the efforts and the challenges. Hi, Franco.
FRANCO ORDOÑEZ, BYLINE: Hey, Ailsa.
CHANG: OK, so I understand that you were part of this small group of reporters who met with Senator Scott. Can you just tell us about his plans? Like, what's his pitch here?
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, yeah. I mean, you kind of laid it out pretty well. I mean, Scott is the only Black Republican in the Senate, and he's launching a campaign to turn out Black voters, especially men, for Trump. Now, the Black vote was critical for Biden four years ago, and Scott wants to, you know, seize on the opportunity presented in polls that show Black support for Biden is falling.
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TIM SCOTT: There's a lot of reasons why the shift is becoming just so blatantly obvious that it's now undeniable that there is something amiss, and it's real.
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, his PAC will lead much of the effort, which includes television ads, direct mail - all the things that you can expect in a full-fledged campaign. Scott is going to be traveling, hosting events in key states like Michigan and Georgia, where they feel they can make a real difference. And the pitch, as you say, is that Democrats have taken the vote for granted, and they argue that Black voters were better off under Trump, especially from an economic standpoint.
CHANG: But Black voters were a key part of Biden winning in 2020, and they've long supported Democrats. So is there a real chance that this bloc of voters will suddenly switch parties for Trump?
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, not as a bloc. I mean, that's not going to happen, but they don't need that to happen. They just need a few percentage points. I mean, Scott was pretty blunt talking about the vulnerabilities for Biden.
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SCOTT: If Black voters do two things - some stay home and some come to the right - there is no way to fill the hole. So the coalition that is necessary for the Democrats to have success period - it's not just Black and Hispanic. It's specifically Black.
ORDOÑEZ: In a recent poll by GenForward, which was conducted by the University of Chicago, just 33% of young Black people said they would support Biden if the election were held today. Twenty-three percent chose Trump. Now, for context, four years ago, Biden won Black voters under 45 by more than 80%.
CHANG: Right. And that poll you just cited - I mean, it's not the only poll showing challenges for Biden among Black voters. Has this push from Senator Scott caught the attention of the Biden campaign?
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, this has definitely caught the Biden campaign's attention. I mean, that's why they've been targeting this group with visits and events in places like Atlanta, Detroit, Philadelphia. I was talking with Cornell Belcher, who served as a pollster for former President Barack Obama. And Belcher says Biden's work on student loans and reproductive rights are real wins for the Black community. And he says those voters are not going to jump to Trump. But he also says that he has some concerns that they may not show up.
CORNELL BELCHER: I'm more concerned about African American voters sitting at home or breaking third party because that becomes 2016 again, right? How does Trump win? He doesn't win by addition. He wins by subtraction.
ORDOÑEZ: Now, he says Biden could be doing more, but no campaign is perfect five months out. And the work they're doing now is really already paying dividends.
CHANG: And real quick, could this effort by Senator Scott help him earn the VP spot on the Republican ticket, you think?
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, to the extent that Scott can grab some of these voters, it's a big deal. And strategists I talk to say it makes him a very interesting VP pick.
CHANG: That is NPR's Franco Ordoñez. Thank you so much, Franco.
ORDOÑEZ: Thank you, Ailsa.
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