“This is where we get into descriptive versus substantive representation,” says political scientist Christina Greer of Fordham University. “A lot of Black voters are like, ‘Why have we got all these Black people in charge and my life isn’t changing? Why are my economic circumstances not exponentially better if I can look at how we had a Black president and we’ve got a Black mayor? Why is it that my schools are still bad, my neighborhood is still what it is?’”
Burnett agrees, saying the disaffection is exacerbated by Democratic positions on immigration. “When certain urban neighborhoods are overwhelmed by a preexisting homeless crisis, high rents, and a level of unaffordability in so many different categories, but yet they see individuals — we’re talking about illegal immigration — being placed in the front in terms of housing, even in some instances cash payments; they’re rolling off the red carpet,” he says. “And then they say, ‘Wait a second, we vote for you guys, and we can’t even get your attention on basic things, but you can find money to educate them, give them free health care, but when it comes to our needs as a Black community, it falls on deaf ears.’ I think Black people are sick and tired of being sick and tired. So some of them will actually exercise that level of protest by voting for Trump in the general.”
