Black Women Worry the Biden Campaign Isn’t Listening

Operatives and party members warned that the Biden campaign is moving too slowly to empower Black women.

Joe Biden Kamala Harris
Vice President Kamala Harris is aware that Black women are concerned about the Biden campaign’s lack of representation, sources said. Susan Walsh/AP

Prominent Black women in Democratic politics fear they’re getting too few seats at the table on the Biden campaign — even after warning top campaign officials for months that the president may lose the election if he doesn’t do better.

The Biden campaign has followed through on its promise to hire Black women in senior roles. But there are fewer Black women in those roles — and they have less power — than many had hoped there would be at this point in the election, particularly given the importance of Black women to President Joe Biden’s reelection bid.

More than a dozen Democratic operatives and Biden allies told NOTUS that the issue of Black representation is bigger than any singular job title — it’s a reflection of a Democratic ecosystem that’s slow to make changes or empower people who aren’t as well known in D.C. political circles.