Former President Barack Obama is facing criticism from African American leaders after his recent comments urging black men to support Kamala Harris.

Former President Barack Obama speaks during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center.

Speaking during an appearance in Pittsburgh, Obama’s remarks, aimed at encouraging young black men to back Harris in the upcoming election, have sparked backlash from both Republican and Democratic figures.

One of the most vocal critics is C.J. Pearson, a Gen Z Republican and head of the Republican National Committee’s Youth Advisory Council.

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In a video posted to X (formerly Twitter), Pearson rejected the idea of supporting Harris simply because of shared racial identity. “I think that my ancestors fought far too hard for my right to vote in this country, for me to support someone just because they look like me, especially when that person who looks like me doesn’t give a damn about me,” Pearson stated.

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Obama’s original comments urged black men to vote for Harris, emphasizing her shared background and experiences. “She is somebody who grew up like you, knows you, went to college with you, understands the struggles and pain and joy that comes from those experiences,” Obama said. He also argued that black men considering a vote for former President Donald Trump were misguided, stating their hesitancy was partly because “they just aren’t feeling the idea of having a woman as president.”

 

However, Pearson was not the only one to push back.

Former Ohio state Senator Nina Turner, who served as national co-chair of Bernie Sanders’s 2020 presidential campaign, voiced her concerns during an interview on CNN.

Turner, who has been a Democratic delegate for Obama in the past, questioned why black men were being singled out in this way. “Why are black men being belittled in ways that no other voting group [is]?” Turner asked. While acknowledging her respect for Obama, she said, “For him to single out black men is wrong.”

Turner also defended black men’s right to make their own decisions at the ballot box. “Some of the black men that I have talked to have their reasons why they want to vote a different way. And even if some of us may not like that, we have to respect it,” Turner added.

She urged Democrats to refrain from targeting black men with lectures about how they should vote, noting that black men largely vote in alignment with black women.

Former Republican Georgia state Rep. Vernon Jones also weighed in, criticizing Obama’s comments as condescending.

Jones accused Obama of treating black men as if they were “too stupid” to vote in their own best interest. “As if we don’t know that gas prices have been higher under Kamala Harris, food prices higher under Kamala Harris, interest rates or home mortgages higher under Kamala Harris, and runaway borders under Kamala Harris,” Jones said in a video posted to X.

Jones, a vocal Trump supporter, also criticized Obama for being out of touch with the black community. He referenced Obama’s residence on Martha’s Vineyard, saying, “For him to want to come down from his mansion… and tell black men how we should vote, really? You don’t even live in Chicago anymore… and you want to tell us how to vote? We’re not having that.”

Obama’s outreach to voters comes as the Harris campaign faces challenges in maintaining support from the black community, a key demographic for Democrats.

In battleground states like Pennsylvania, cracks are beginning to show.

One black voter, when asked about his support for Trump, said he was backing the former president because Democrats “don’t offer anything to the straight black male voters.”

As the 2024 election approaches, these tensions underscore the difficulties Harris faces in galvanizing crucial support from black voters, especially black men, in key states that could determine the outcome of the race.

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