ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — From behind her barber chair and in her community, Cherita Evans — who goes by “Storm the Barber” — has picked up on a troubling trend for Vice President Harris’ campaign.
“Most of my female family and friends — they’re voting for Harris,” Evans said in an interview at the Head Changerz shop last week. But she said some of the men in her life aren’t so sure. “I think … a lot of men aren’t ready to vote for a woman.”
“In my community, you have a lot of men, who, you know, won’t even be under a female leadership in church,” said Evans.
This is a problem the Harris campaign is racing to address as early voting begins in key states where every vote will count. Polls show former President Donald Trump may be making some inroads with Black male voters — and other Black men may not vote.
That’s why on Tuesday Harris will be taking questions from callers in swing states in a town hall conversation moderated by Charlamagne tha God, an influential Black radio host who has pulled very few punches with Democratic politicians.
The challenge was underscored by former President Barack Obama this week. He spoke what he called “some truths” about how energy and turnout for Harris in Black communities was not what it was when he was running — and said that it “seems to be more pronounced with the brothers.”
“Part of it makes me think that, well, you just aren’t feeling the idea of having a woman as president, and you’re coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for that,” Obama said.
What Harris is doing to reach Black male voters
Harris’ campaign is working to engage Black male voters, including hosting tailgate events at homecomings at historically Black colleges. Harris also had a conversation on All the Smoke, a podcast hosted by two former NBA stars, where she talked about her identity — something she hasn’t often leaned into on the campaign trail.
This weekend, Harris will be in Eastern North Carolina, a section of the state with a large Black population but where turnout among those voters has lagged in recent years.
Her path to the presidency runs through communities like Rocky Mount, where NPR first met Evans back in May.
At that time, Evans was less than enthusiastic about the election, saying she didn’t like Trump or Biden. Evans was disappointed that Harris had disappeared from the spotlight.
“After she became vice president, it seemed like she just kind of got quiet,” said Evans.
Evans said she thinks Harris is a better candidate than Biden — but not perfect.
“I’m going to be honest with you: I don’t really like Trump, so I am going to vote for her,” said Evans. “But I don’t think she’s done a very great job of addressing the main issues that we are having.”
Like so many voters this year, Evans says gas prices are high and groceries are too expensive. She sees Harris talking about going after companies for price gouging in the ads that show up constantly on the TV in the barbershop — but Evans doesn’t buy that as a real solution.
There’s a generational divide in voting
Back in May, Evans was cutting the hair of Christian Pounds, a 22-year-old college student. At the time he didn’t like either candidate and didn’t think his vote would change anything.
Reached on the phone this week, he said he’s definitely planning to vote. “When Biden dropped out, I was kind of happy,” Pounds said, explaining he thought Biden was too old for the job.
The other night, Pound says he got into a heated discussion with his uncle and his cousin about voting. His cousin isn’t planning to vote. “My uncle was like, ‘You better vote for Kamala Harris.’”
Pounds said he sees a real generational divide among his friends and family — “the young people vs. the old, when it comes to voting vs. not voting,”
In the neighboring community of Wilson, Mike Harris is a barber at Style Masters. He’s been voting for Democrats all his life, and said he hopes Harris will become the first female president.
But the same isn’t true for all of his clients and friends
“Some people — I don’t know if they joking or not — say they are” voting for Trump, said Mike Harris.
“Some people don’t believe in female leaders, but I tell them all the time … my mom raised me and my brother in our house. So I think that, you know, women can do the job,” Mike Harris said.
NPR’s Jason Fuller and Gus Contreras contributed to this story.
Transcript:
SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Last night, former President Barack Obama delivered a blunt message to Black men.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
BARACK OBAMA: Part of it makes me think that, well, you just aren’t feeling the idea of having a woman as president. And you’re coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for that.
DETROW: Polls indicate that former President Donald Trump may be making inroads with some male Black voters, and others may not vote. That is a problem for Vice President Harris’ campaign and something that NPR senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith found this week in North Carolina.
(SOUNDBITE OF ELECTRIC RAZOR BUZZING)
TAMARA KEITH: Cherita Evans goes by Storm the Barber. She works at a shop called Head Changerz in the community of Rocky Mount, North Carolina. It’s a swing state where Democrats need to improve Black voter turnout if Harris is going to have a chance of winning. Evans is going to vote for Harris, but she knows people who aren’t planning to.
CHERITA EVANS: Most of my female family and friends – they’re voting for Harris. But I have a lot of males who just – male friends and family that’s like, I don’t know if I’m going to vote for her. And I think because – I think they’re not – a lot of men aren’t ready to vote for a woman.
KEITH: Harris is not talking about this, but Evans thinks she should because it’s a real issue.
EVANS: In my community, you have a lot of men who, you know, won’t even be under female leadership in church.
KEITH: I first met Evans back in May, and she was less than enthusiastic about the election.
EVANS: Yeah. I don’t like Trump, and I don’t really like Biden.
KEITH: But the thing that I remember most from that conversation was what she said about Harris.
EVANS: But after she became vice president, it seemed like she just kind of, like, got quiet.
KEITH: From what Evans could see, Harris made history and then just kind of disappeared. So I wanted to know what Evans thinks about the election now that Harris is her party’s nominee.
EVANS: I think she’s a better candidate than Biden.
KEITH: For Evans, Harris has the same thing going for her that Biden did. She’s not Donald Trump.
EVANS: I’m going to be honest with you. I don’t really like Trump, so I’m going to vote for her. But I don’t think she’s done a very great job of addressing the main issues that we are having.
KEITH: That gas prices are high and groceries are too expensive.
EVANS: Like, you’re not addressing that. And I don’t think price gouging is completely it.
KEITH: In her ads that show up constantly on the TV in the barbershop, Harris talks about going after companies for price gouging. But Evans doesn’t buy that as a real solution. Back in May, Evans was cutting the hair of a 22-year-old college student named Christian Pounds. At the time, he didn’t like either candidate and didn’t think his vote would change anything. Reached on the phone this week, he says he’s definitely planning to vote.
CHRISTIAN POUNDS: When Biden dropped out, I was kind of happy.
KEITH: The other night, he says he got into it with his uncle and his cousin about voting.
POUNDS: They got very heated ’cause I think my cousin was basically on the stance of how I was before, and my uncle was like, you better vote for Kamala Harris.
KEITH: His cousin wasn’t planning to vote, and his uncle wanted none of it. Pounds says he sees a real generational divide.
POUNDS: It’s more so the young people versus the old when it comes to, like, voting versus not voting.
KEITH: In the neighboring community of Wilson, Mike Harris is a barber at Style Masters. He’s been voting for Democrats all his life. In May, he said he was voting for Biden. Now he’s voting for Harris and hopes she will become the first female president. I ask him whether any of his clients are planning to vote for Trump.
MIKE HARRIS: Some people – I don’t know if they’re joking or not – say they are. Some people don’t believe in female leaders, but I tell them all the time I was raised – my mom raised me and my brother in our house. So I think that, you know, women can do the job.
KEITH: The Harris campaign says it is working hard to reach Black men and win them over. To that end, next week Harris is going to Detroit for a town hall with influential Black radio host Charlamagne tha God.
Tamara Keith, NPR News.
