The Democratic ticket that’s running to lead Harrisburg — with Attorney General Josh Shapiro as governor and state Rep. Austin Davis as lieutenant governor — is launching a new paid media campaign to reach Black voters in advance of November’s midterm elections.
It includes at least $1.4 million in mailings, as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars in radio advertisements.
The Shapiro-Davis team said it believes the effort is one of the largest-ever investments that a statewide campaign in Pennsylvania has made in paid communications geared toward Black voters.
Black voters are a core part of the Democratic party’s base — especially in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh — and campaign officials said the effort builds upon significant time already invested in trying to reach and turn out these voters.
Mr. Shapiro’s first stop on the campaign trail was to meet with pastors at Philadelphia’s Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church, the oldest Black-owned church in America. Mr. Shapiro endorsed Mr. Davis in January to be his running mate and, if elected, Mr. Davis would be the state’s first Black lieutenant governor. The duo have regularly attended community events in Black neighborhoods, as well as releasing plans specifically aimed at this part of the electorate, such as investing in job skills training programs and creating a government office to make it easier for Black entrepreneurs to get their businesses off the ground.
Mr. Davis told the Post-Gazette that Black voters are extremely important to the Democratic party, and the campaign is working hard to earn every vote. He added that it’s key to reach Black voters in places outside of the biggest cities, such as in his native McKeesport, as well as Beaver County’s Aliquippa and Montgomery County’s Pottstown.
“This significant investment in mail and radio is another step in helping us reach, particularly Black voters, where they are — in their homes and on their radios — to talk about our vision to create a Pennsylvania that works for everyone, a Pennsylvania that makes sure every community is safe,” he said.
Mr. Davis added that the election is particularly significant for Black voters, given his position on the ballot.
“We’ve never had an African-American be nominated to the second-highest, or the highest, office in this commonwealth,” he said. “I think that’s something Black voters should be proud of, and it’s something we want to communicate with folks.”
State Rep. Jordan Harris, D-Philadelphia, said it is important for Democrats to message directly to Black voters, making sure they know about Election Day and the party’s policy stances.
Mr. Harris added that in-person campaigning is also very important, noting that Mr. Shapiro visited his district a few weeks ago and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, traveled Monday to West Philadelphia.
State Rep. Aerion Abney, D-Hill District, said he feels the effort is the “end of the beginning” of outreach to Black voters, and “not something that just popped up today.” Mr. Abney said he has traveled multiple times around Pittsburgh with Mr. Davis, investing time in chatting with anyone from casual voters to Black ward leaders.
“It’s some of these other things that don’t make it to social media, or don’t make it into the press, that actually has just as much value to how Black people feel about who they want to vote for,” he said. “Folks like Austin and Josh are willing to do it not just for the press, but willing to do it because they actually just care about people.”
Jon Moss: mosspg412@gmail.com; Twitter: @mossjon7.
First Published: September 13, 2022, 10:00 a.m.
