Black pastor admits Biden is losing ground with young Black voters
Ray of Hope Christian Church Pastor Rev. Cynthia Hale says some of the young members of her parish are not going to vote for President Biden.
Black faith leaders from across the U.S. have called on President Biden to support a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war and claimed that his current attitudes could push Black voters away in the 2024 election.
Many pastors and bishops have admitted that their parishioners are concerned about Biden's stance on the conflict, which may damage his support, especially among young Black voters.
During a "CNN This Morning" appearance, Ray of Hope Christian Church Pastor Rev. Cynthia Hale said she hopes Biden will change his position and be stronger in his calls for a cease-fire.
"He's not lost my vote yet. But I am teetering on the edge, as is true of many of my parishioners," she said on Monday.
YOUNG PEOPLE TURN ON ‘GENOCIDE JOE’ OVER HIS CEASEFIRE STANCE: BIDEN ‘ABSOLUTELY SUCKS’
President Biden could lose support from Black voters because of his stance on the Israel-Hamas war, according to Black faith leaders. (AP/Evan Vucci/CNN/Screenshot)
Hale said that some of the young adults in her parish were very strong about the fact that they would not vote for Biden because of the tragedies occurring in Gaza.
Pastor Carl Day of Culture Changing Christians said that while he has not heard from his parish that people are on the brink of not voting for or voting against Biden, people are "very upset" at the moment.
"I think we should be very mindful—the consequences and the fallout of what this election could cost us," he said.
"We are afraid," Rev. Timothy McDonald, a senior pastor of First Iconium Baptist Church in Atlanta, told The New York Times. "And we've talked about it — it's going to be very hard to persuade our people to go back to the polls and vote for Biden."
Biden's support among the Black community has shrunk in recent years, with Fox News polling indicating his approval slid 25% since 2021. He once stood at 87% approval, but that number declined to 62% in 2023.
The president headed to South Carolina on Saturday to help bolster his support among Black voters. During his remarks, Biden was interrupted multiple times by pro-Palestinian protesters.
YOUNG PEOPLE TURN ON ‘GENOCIDE JOE’ OVER HIS CEASEFIRE STANCE: BIDEN ‘ABSOLUTELY SUCKS’
President Joe Biden speaks from the Oval Office of the White House on Thursday, Oct. 19, about the war in Israel and Ukraine. (AP/Jonathan Ernst/Pool)
Rev. Michael Bride, a founder of Black Church PAC, said the war in Gaza is not a "fringe issue" among Black Christians.
"There are many of us who feel that this administration has lost its way on this."
National African American Clergy Network co-convener Barbara Williams-Skinner stressed that Black clergy members believe that war, poverty, and racism are all interconnected and, as such, have typically voiced strong opposition to conflict.
But the Israel-Hamas war, unlike previous wars in Iran and Afghanistan, has led to a "deep-seated angst among Black people" not seen since the Civil Rights movement, she said.
The White House did not return Fox News Digital's request for comment.
In October, a delegation of Black faith leaders sat down with the White House and members of the Congressional Black Caucus to call for an end to the fighting. Hundreds of pastors also signed open letters to Democrats and paid for advertisements in newspapers across the country to push for a cease-fire.
An Israeli soldier takes up position on the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel, on Monday, Jan. 29. (AP/Tsafrir Abayov)
While some bishops said Biden would continue to have support from the Black community so long as he appears genuine on the conflict, six Black faith leaders who spoke with the Times said they had considered rescinding invitations to Democratic politicians asking to speak during their services.
They also said they are determining whether to withhold public support for Biden's re-election campaign until his administration pledges to support a cease-fire.
The senior pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church, Rev. Frederick D. Haynes, said that Black Americans are noticing a "glaring contradiction" from Biden based on his response to the war.
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"When you hear a president say the term, 'redeem the soul of America,' well, this is a stain, a scar on the soul of America. There's something about this that becomes hypocritical," he said.
Fox News' Bailee Hill contributed to this report.
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