According to Martin Luther King III, the son of the famous civil rights leader, if Vice President Kamala Harris does not win the upcoming presidential election, Black men should not be held responsible.

“The outcome of this election will not depend solely on how many Black men either support or don’t support (Harris), even though it may be close,” King stated in a Thursday interview with YSL News. “It would be wrong to pin the blame on Black men.”

“That’s the direction it seems to be heading,” he added.

Traditionally, Black men have been a vital voting group for Democrats. However, in Harris’ 2024 competition against former President Donald Trump, reports suggest a decline in support among these voters for the Democratic party.

Recent polls indicate that Harris still maintains the majority support of Black men. A New York Times/Siena College poll from earlier this month revealed that 70% of Black men would vote for Harris, while 20% chose Trump, and 10% were undecided or refused to answer.

However, her backing has decreased in comparison to President Joe Biden, who garnered 87% of Black male voters in 2020, according to Pew Research Center.

In what is likely to be a close race, each vote could significantly affect the outcome.

Nonetheless, King, the eldest son of Martin Luther King, Jr., emphasized that Black men should not bear the entire burden of the Democrats’ need to secure the presidency.

“To succeed in this election, it requires a broad coalition made up of women, men, Black men, white men, and people from the Latino and Hispanic communities, along with, at times, Native American voters,” King remarked.

King mentioned that there is a growing narrative attributing any potential loss for Harris, who would make history as the first woman and first woman of color in the U.S. presidency, to Black men’s voting behavior. He expressed concern that Democrats are increasingly anxious about Black men’s support as the election approaches.

Former President Barack Obama highlighted these worries during a visit to a Harris campaign office in Pittsburgh, suggesting that misogyny may be affecting Black men’s votes.

“You’re coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses,” Obama said, addressing Black men directly. “It seems to suggest that you might not fully support the idea of a woman president, leading you to explore other options.”

Black men are not the only demographic that Democrats are concerned about.

Harris appears to have also lost some support among Latino voters. According to a YSL News/Suffolk University poll released recently, 49% of Latino voters chose Trump over Harris, who received 38%. A comparable poll from August showed Latino voters favoring Harris 53% to 37%.

With the focus so heavily placed on Black men, King and his wife, Arndrea Waters King, told YSL News that they anticipate that these voters’ choices will face significant scrutiny after Election Day. They questioned whether Black men would receive as much recognition for a Harris victory as they might face blame for a loss.

“Probably not,” Waters King replied. “It appears, as Martin noted, that the narrative is skewed more towards placing blame.”