Black voters have been among the Democratic Party’s most dependable supporters for generations. But loyalty and trust are not the same thing.
With less than a month to go before the midterm elections, Black voters and political strategists say years of inconsistent engagement and unmet expectations have left some voters questioning whether the party has earned their continued support. The challenge now is bigger than winning votes. It’s convincing distrustful voters that staying politically engaged is worth it.
Communications strategist Ashley Etienne argues that Democrats have spent years taking one of their most reliable voting blocs for granted, creating a widening trust gap that threatens the party’s long-term prospects in Texas and nationally.
“Trust is the currency of persuasion,” she said. “We’re seeing distrust at an all-time high, especially with Black voters … distrust of the media, institutions, the Democratic Party, self-agreement. Campaigns don’t lose because they fail to talk to voters. They lose because they fail to listen.”
Etienne, who served as a senior adviser to Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden and communications director for Vice President Kamala Harris, said repairing that relationship requires something considerably more difficult than another campaign advertisement. It requires listening.
Black support remains strong, but not absolute
Recent polling suggests Democrats continue to hold a substantial advantage among Black voters heading into November, but that support isn’t universal.
A July 2026 Pew Research Center survey found 68% of Black registered voters said they would support the Democratic candidate for U.S. House in their district, compared with 8% who favored the Republican. Another 25% said they were either unsure or would support another candidate.
That uncertainty follows some erosion in Democratic support among Black voters in the 2024 presidential election. A Pew analysis of validated voters found 83% of Black voters supported Kamala Harris in 2024, compared with 92% who supported Joe Biden in 2020.
Pew found that shift was driven less by individual voters switching from one party to another than by differences in who turned out to vote.
The findings don’t suggest Black voters have abandoned Democrats. They do raise questions about whether longstanding party loyalty is enough to guarantee participation.
“We’ve been making that same argument decade after decade,” Etienne said. “Those are becoming less persuasive arguments.”
Why is trust disappearing?
The distrust isn’t necessarily about one candidate or one election. For some Black voters, frustration comes from feeling heavily courted during election season without seeing enough progress afterward on the issues affecting their daily lives.
Housing costs remain a concern. So do education, economic opportunity, neighborhood investment, and the cost of everyday necessities.
That creates a difficult dynamic for campaigns: Asking voters to participate in a political system that some believe has not delivered enough for them.
It also raises a separate question. What happens when frustration with political parties becomes disengagement from the political process altogether?
What happens when voters stay home?
The answer can become particularly consequential in local elections, where races can be decided by hundreds of votes rather than thousands.
Harris County Democratic Party Chair Traci Gibson has pointed to several 2024 judicial races decided by narrow margins. District judge candidate Elaine Palmer lost by 304 votes, while Jeralynn Manor lost by 647 votes.
Gibson also warned about voters who begin Harris County’s lengthy ballot but don’t finish it.
“If you go into these polls and you vote for the first five people and then you leave, that’s how we get Elaine Palmer losing by about 300 votes,” Gibson said.
The larger issue extends beyond any candidate or political party. Judges are elected. School boards make decisions affecting students and families. City and county officials determine how public dollars are spent. State lawmakers decide which bills become state law.
Those decisions are made regardless of how many eligible voters participate.
“We have to have strategies, we have to have plans, we have to have a mechanism in place for people to feel they are heard.”
Karla West
For voters distrustful of political parties or government institutions, political participation also doesn’t have to mean unquestioning loyalty to either party.
Voters can research candidates individually, compare their positions, attend or watch candidate forums and examine an incumbent’s record against previous campaign promises. They can also learn what the often-overlooked offices farther down the ballot actually control.
In that sense, distrust can become a reason for greater scrutiny rather than disengagement.
Candidates have work to do, too
Responsibility for rebuilding participation doesn’t fall solely on voters.
At a recent Third Ward town hall hosted by state Rep. Jolanda “Jo” Jones, Harris County Precinct 7 Constable James “Smokie” Phillips and Houston Black American Democrats, voters and political strategists called for more sustained campaign engagement.
“Investment drives outcomes. If you don’t invest in it, it doesn’t work,” Etienne said.
She argued that campaigns spend heavily on polling, consultants and advertising while directing too little money toward Black-led political infrastructure and organizations with established relationships in Black communities.
Shamier Bouie, chair of Houston Black American Democrats, said organizing cannot begin a few months before Election Day.
“It’s all about year-round organizing, and increased investment in Black voter outreach … more funding for Black-led organizations that have relationships, infrastructure, and experience in effectively engaging Black communities,” Bouie said.
The question of investment also surfaced in July when Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico pledged $25 million toward Black voter outreach. Some voters wanted specifics about where and how that money would be spent.
“We still need our kids, we still need our schools equitably funded,” said Augie Cahee, vice president of marketing web delivery at JPMorgan Chase & Co. “So, we want to know what you’re going to do with the money. Don’t stand up and tell me $25 million and you don’t have a plan.”
The exchange illustrated the larger trust problem: Voters aren’t simply asking candidates to talk to them. They want to know what happens after the conversation.
From distrust to accountability
Karla West, a precinct chair for downtown’s Precinct 16, said responsibility ultimately belongs on both sides.
“We fell asleep at the wheel,” West said of voter turnout.
But she also challenged political leaders.
“The Democratic Party did not say what they would do for you,” West said. “We haven’t heard a plan for years. I’m sick of it. We have to have strategies, we have to have plans, we have to have a mechanism in place for people to feel they are heard.”
Defender Reporter Tannistha Sinha contributed to this report.
