President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are intensifying their efforts to secure reelection by targeting Black voters, a crucial demographic that played a pivotal role in their victory in 2020 but has exhibited signs of wavering allegiance.

Their renewed focus on Black voter outreach will kick off during a visit to the battleground state of Pennsylvania on Wednesday. The itinerary includes stops at Girard College, a distinguished boarding school in Philadelphia renowned for its predominantly Black student body, and meetings with members of the Black Chamber of Commerce at a local small business.

This endeavor marks the beginning of an extensive, eight-figure initiative set to span the summer, aimed at engaging Black student organizations, community groups, and religious centers across the nation.

“We will continue to be aggressive, innovative, and thorough in our work to earn the support of the very voters who sent Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to the White House in 2020 and will do so again in 2024,” affirmed Quentin Fulks, Biden’s principal deputy campaign manager.

The decision to ramp up Black voter outreach comes at a time when Biden’s once-solid support among Black voters has experienced a notable decline. Recent polls indicate a drop in approval ratings among Black adults, from 94% at the outset of his term to a current standing of just 55%, as reported by an Associated PRESS-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll released in March.

Challenges such as economic concerns, exacerbated by a 40-year high in inflation since 2022, and discontent over Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict have contributed to this trend.

Securing the support of Black voters is deemed critical for Biden’s prospects, particularly in closely contested states like Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. While Biden clinched victories in these states in 2020, his reelection bid faces a tougher battle this year, with former President Donald Trump actively positioning himself as a preferable choice for Black voters.

The Biden campaign aims to leverage this outreach effort to highlight achievements during Biden’s tenure, including a decline in Black unemployment rates, initiatives to address student loan debt, and historic appointments such as Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court and Harris as the first Black woman vice president.

The president’s visit to Philadelphia builds upon a series of engagements with Black community members in recent weeks, underscoring the campaign’s commitment to actively engage with key stakeholders ahead of the upcoming election.