Democrats are hoping that Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) can help boost the party’s candidates in key Senate races by helping to boost turnout by Black voters, particularly in the South.
Black voters make up large percentages of the Democratic electorate in Georgia, where Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) is in a tossup race, and in South Carolina, where Sen. Lindsey Graham is facing a serious challenge.
Democrats already hoped for a strong voter turnout given support from Black voters for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, along with Black antipathy for President Trump.
They’re now hoping the historic nature of the Harris pick — she is the first woman of color to be on a major party’s presidential ticket — will give turnout an extra push.