Welcoming New Members, Progressive Caucus Vows to 'Double Down' on Bold Agenda

"There will now be more progressives in Congress than at any other time in modern history," said Rep.-elect Greg Casar of Texas.

The Congressional Progressive Caucus welcomed around a dozen newly elected members to its ranks on Sunday after bold candidates across the country—from Summer Lee in Pennsylvania to Greg Casar in Texas—delivered midterm wins that helped the Democratic Party stave off the widely predicted GOP "red wave."

Buoyed by strong youth turnout, a majority of the candidates that the CPC's campaign arm endorsed for the November 8 contests emerged victorious last week, an outcome that will push the progressive bloc's membership above 100 in the 118th Congress.

The CPC has grown substantially in recent years, and its leaders have attempted—not always successfully—to wield the caucus' numbers to secure legislative victories and influence the Democratic Party's policy agenda on climate, student debt relief, and other areas of critical importance.

The latest membership boost comes after the CPC enacted structural changes in 2020 aimed at making the bloc more cohesive and capable of using its size as leverage in key legislative fights.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the CPC chair, said during a new member event Sunday at the AFL-CIO's headquarters in Washington, D.C. that the additions to the House will help form "the most progressive Democratic caucus in decades."

While Republicans are still favored to take control of the lower chamber even after winning far fewer seats than expected, Jayapal signaled Sunday that the CPC will continue to push for "real transformative change for working people in this country."

"We'll put together our full agenda over the next week or so," Jayapal said.

Among the CPC's top legislative agenda items, according to Axios, are "abolishing the debt ceiling, reinstating the Child Tax Credit, expanding Medicaid through budget reconciliation, antitrust reform, and DREAM Act immigrant protections."

"Majority or minority, we're fighting for the people," tweeted Lee, who fended off a last-minute onslaught of AIPAC spending to defeat her GOP opponent in Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District.

Casar, who handily defeated Republican Dan McQueen in Texas' 35th Congressional District, added that "there will now be more progressives in Congress than at any other time in modern history."

Joining Casar and Lee as newly elected members of the CPC are Morgan McGarvey of Kentucky, Robert Garcia of California, Shri Thanedar of Michigan, Maxwell Frost of Florida, Jasmine Crockett of Texas, Jill Tokuda of Hawaii, Delia Ramirez and Jonathan Jackson of Illinois, and Becca Balint of Vermont.

In addition to pushing its legislative priorities, the CPC is also working to ensure that progressives are represented in the upper ranks of the Democratic Party's leadership in Congress.

Last week, Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.)—the CPC's vice chair for new members—announced his bid for House Democratic Caucus chair, a term-limited position currently held by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). In 2018, House Democrats elected Jeffries to the post over progressive Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.).

"As votes across the country continue to be counted, it is clear that the stakes of the 118th Congress could not be higher," Neguse wrote in a letter to colleagues on Thursday. "With our country at a crossroads, it will be more important than ever for the House Democratic Caucus to be unified and singularly focused. It is with that in mind that I respectfully request your support of my candidacy for chair of the House Democratic Caucus."

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KFF/theGrio Survey of Black Voters - Voter Priority Issues

KFF/theGrio Survey of Black Voters

Liz Hamel, Follow @lizhamel on TwitterShannon Schumacher, Grace SparksFollow @gracesparks on Twitter, Mellisha Stokes, and Mollyann Brodie 

Follow @gracesparks on TwitterMellisha Stokes , and Mollyann Brodie Follow @Mollybrodie on TwitterPublished: Oct 18, 2022

Economic Concerns Top Of Mind For Black Voters, But Non-Economic Issues Also Seen As Important In Voting Decisions

As the election approaches, economic issues loom large for Black voters and their families. When asked to state in their own words the top concern facing them and their families, about three in four (73%) Black voters point to economic concerns, including 32% who mention inflation and the cost of living and 21% who mention financial problems such as loss of income and making ends meet. Voters under age 65 are particularly likely to mention economic concerns (78% vs. 53% of those ages 65 and older), while a larger share of those ages 65 and older mention health concerns (17% vs. 7% of those under age 65). Crime, gun violence, and safety were raised by 3% of Black voters, while 2% named racism and racial disparities.

More broadly, at least six in ten Black voters say it’s a bad time to be a Black man (67%), a Black woman (62%), or a Black child (67%) in the US. Further, around eight in ten (81%) feel the economic system in the U.S. is stacked against people like them and a similar share say the same about the U.S. political system (79%).

Black voters prioritize a variety of issues as very important to their midterm vote, including economic as well as non-economic issues. Black voters cite an array of issues as very important when considering who to vote for this fall, with no one issue taking the top spot. In a top tier, six issues are clustered together, each with three in four or more Black voters who say the following are very important to their midterm vote: voting rights (80%), health care costs (78%), gun violence (77%), inflation, including gas prices (76%), criminal justice and policing (75%), and the affordability of housing (75%). Ranking somewhat lower is abortion access (64%), followed by climate change (52%), and immigration (38%). Mirroring broader partisan differences in the population as a whole, Black voters who identify as Democrats or lean toward the Democratic party are more likely to cite voting rights, health care costs, gun violence, abortion access, and climate change as important issues in their vote; those who identify or lean Republican are more likely to prioritize inflation and immigration.

Housing affordability ranks higher as a voting issue for certain groups of Black voters, including women, younger voters, and those with lower incomes. Housing affordability is a top issue for lower-income Black voters, with 84% of voters with incomes under $40,000 saying it is very important to their vote, compared to 57% of those with incomes of $90,000 or more. The cost of housing is also named as an important voting issue by a larger share of younger voters compared to older Black voters (78% of those under age 50 vs. 72% of those 50 and older) and for Black women compared to men (82% vs. 67%).

Gender is an important divide on other issues as well. Beyond housing affordability, Black women voters are more likely than Black men voters to say certain issues are very important to their vote, including health care costs (83% vs. 73%), gun violence (84% vs. 69%), inflation (79% vs. 71%), and abortion access (68% vs. 58%).

 

When asked about economic issues they would most like Biden and Congress to address, Black voters focus on basics like food and housing as well as the cost of health care. Of the issues polled, the cost of housing is a top concern for Black voters, with about three in ten (31%) saying it is the economic issue facing U.S. consumers they most want the President and Congress to address, including higher shares of women, younger voters, and those with lower incomes. About a quarter cite other necessities like the cost of food and health care, respectively.

In a sharp turnaround from early this summer, when gas prices were at their peak and the cost of gasoline took the top spot in a KFF poll of all adults, the cost of gas now ranks lower as a priority among Black voters.¹ One in ten Black voters now cite the cost of gasoline as the economic problem they most want the President and Congress to address, while a similar share (12%) cites student debt.²

Six In Ten Black Voters Say Congress Should Prioritize Policies To Improve Health Care For Black People

When asked about various things Congress could do to help improve health care for Black people in the US, Black voters prioritize many potential policies, with about six in ten saying each option polled should be a top priority. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of Black voters say increasing funding for services that would improve health care for Black mothers and babies is a top priority. About six in ten prioritize expanding government health insurance for lower-income people in states that have not expanded their Medicaid programs (62%) as well as increasing funding for treating health problems like heart disease and diabetes that disproportionately affect Black people (60%). A similar share (57%) also say it should be a top priority for Congress to increase funding to train medical professionals on anti-racism and how to provide culturally appropriate health care to Black people.

On many of these issues, Black women voters and those with lower incomes are particularly likely to see each of these as top priorities for Congress. Larger shares of Black women than Black men voters say increasing funding for services that would improve health care for Black mothers and babies (70% vs. 58%), increasing funding for health problems that disproportionately affect Black people (68% vs. 51%), and training medical professionals on anti-racism and culturally appropriate care (63% vs. 50%) should be top priorities for Congress.

Black voters with household incomes of less than $40,000 a year are more likely than those with incomes of $90,000 or more to say Congress should prioritize increasing funding for services to improve health care for Black mothers and babies (68% vs. 52%). There is a similar gap in the share of lower-income and higher-income Black voters who say it should be a top priority for Congress to expand government health insurance coverage for lower-income people in states that have not expanded their Medicaid programs (67% vs. 54%).

This article originally appeared at KFF.org, October 18th, 2022.

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KFF/theGrio Survey of Black Voters - Voter Suppression

KFF/theGrio Survey of Black Voters

Liz Hamel, Follow @lizhamel on TwitterShannon Schumacher, Grace SparksFollow @gracesparks on Twitter, Mellisha Stokes, and Mollyann Brodie Follow @Mollybrodie on Twitter
Published: Oct 18, 2022

Black voters are also concerned about electoral integrity. While a large majority are at least somewhat confident that their own vote will be accurately counted in November, seven in ten are concerned about voter suppression interfering with a fair and accurate election in their state. Half say they have experienced waiting in long lines at their polling place in the past, and one in five have experienced potential voter suppression such as having their registration or identification questioned. Younger Black voters and those who have experienced potential voter suppression in the past are less confident that their vote will be accurately counted this November.

Black Voters Generally Confident Their Vote Will Be Counted, But Concerned About Voter Suppression

Black voters are generally confident that their vote will be accurately counted this November. A large majority (84%) of Black voters say they are at least “somewhat” confident their vote will be accurately counted in this November’s election, including more than four in ten (45%) who say they are very confident. However, younger voters under age 50 are less likely to feel very confident compared to their older counterparts (37% vs. 55%), and about one in five younger Black voters (22%) say they are “not too confident” or “not at all confident” that their vote will be counted accurately.

 

Seven in ten Black voters are worried about voter suppression and almost half are worried about voter fraud interfering with a fair and accurate election in their state this November. Three in four Black voters who are Democrat or lean Democrat say they are worried about voter suppression, compared to about half (48%) of their Republican counterparts. Conversely, Black voters who are Republican or lean toward the party (64%) are more likely than Black Democrats/leaners (42%) to say they are worried about voter fraud. Black voters of all ages are equally likely to express worry about voter suppression, but there is an age gap on concerns about fraud. Half of Black voters under age 50 say they are very or somewhat worried about voter fraud, compared to 38% of voters over 50.

About half of Black voters say they have experienced waiting in long lines at their polling place, while one in five report experiencing acts of potential voter suppression, such as having their voter registration questioned. Nearly half (46%) of Black voters say they have experienced waiting in long lines at their polling place in the past. In addition, small but important shares report experiencing forms of potential voter suppression, including 12% who say they had their voter registration questioned, 11% who say they requested a mail-in ballot but it never arrived or arrived too late, 6% who were told they didn’t have the correct identification, and 5% who say they had their mail-in ballot rejected. Overall, one in five Black voters say they have experienced at least one of these things.

Experiences with potential voter suppression may impact Black voters’ confidence in the electoral process overall, though the survey does not suggest that it will decrease turnout this November. About a third (32%) of Black voters who have experienced potential voter suppression in the past say they are “very confident” their vote will be accurately counted this fall, compared to a larger share of those who have not experienced voter suppression (48%). However, at this point there is no evidence in the survey that these experiences will suppress turnout in November: these two groups are about equally likely to say they are absolutely certain to vote in the upcoming midterm (60% and 65%, respectively) and that they are more motivated to vote this year compared to previous elections (56% and 50%, respectively).

 

Majorities of Black voters say gerrymandering, limiting early voting, and voter ID laws are problems for Black representation in U.S. politics, with larger shares identifying gerrymandering and limiting early voting as major problems. Majorities of Black voters say these things are at least minor problems for Black representation in U.S. politics, with the largest share identifying gerrymandering as a major problem (64%), followed by limiting early voting (55%) and voter ID laws (39%). On all three issues polled, Black Democrats and those who lean Democratic are more likely to say these are problems than Republicans and those who lean toward the Republican party.

Figure 8

Majority Of Black Voters See Gerrymandering, Limiting Early Voting, And Voter ID Laws As A Problem When It Comes To Black Representation

Thinking about our current political system, how much of a problem, if at all, are each of the following when it comes to Black representation in U.S. politics?

Major

 problem

Minor

 problem

Not

 a problem

Gerrymandering, or redrawing election districts to favor one political party

Total Black voters

64%

24%

10%

Democrat/Lean Democrat

68%

21%

9%

Republican/Lean Republican

51%

35%

13%

Limiting early voting and vote by mail options

Total Black voters

55%

28%

17%

Democrat/Lean Democrat

59%

27%

14%

Republican/Lean Republican

35%

33%

32%

Laws requiring voters to show government-issued photo identification

Total Black voters

39%

36%

24%

Democrat/Lean Democrat

41%

38%

21%

Republican/Lean Republican

33%

28%

39%

NOTE: See topline for full question wording.SOURCE: KFF/theGrio Survey of Black Voters (August 24-September 5, 2022)  PNG

This article originally appeared at KFF.org, October 18th, 2022.

Please support and visit The Brooks Blackboard's website, our INTEL page, OPEN MIND page, and LIKE and FOLLOW our Facebook page.

Follow me on Twitter at @_CharlesBrooks