Biden courts Black farmers in Southern swing states

Joe Biden knows he's not going to win the overall rural vote, but narrowing President Trump's lead in rural areas, especially in battleground states, could make a big difference in the electoral college math. So the Biden campaign has been pursuing rural voters, especially Black farmers, who make up a small but potentially significant share of the rural vote, Ximena Bustillo reports for Politico. 

"Black farm producers, who number almost 49,000 nationally, are concentrated in Southern swing states, including North Carolina, Florida and Georgia. When combined with other farmers of color, also a focus of the Biden campaign, the total swells to 260,000 producers. Many say it's the first time in years a presidential nominee has paid attention to their needs," Bustillo reports. "Black farmers have long struggled to get equal access to USDA programs that help build credit and address civil rights complaints. They have pushed the government for more enforcement to retain land that has been in their families for generations at a time when farmers, generally, are facing unprecedented economic headwinds due to the pandemic and trade war disruptions." Biden has released a plan meant to help non-white farmers better access credit and capital, campaign senior policy adviser Seema Sadanandan told Bustillo. 

Though Trump likely has a narrower lead in rural areas this year than he did in 2016, Biden still has an uphill battle to win over rural voters, especially farmers. A poll conducted in late July found that 75 percent of farmers surveyed said they would vote for Trump.