Kamala Harris Harris picks up new endorsement among divided black caucus

AP | Democratic presidential hopeful Senator Kamala Harris picked up another endorsement Wednesday from a member of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), where she is competing for support with former Vice President Joe Biden.

Connecticut Democrat Jahana Hayes posted an op-ed in Essence on Wednesday ahead of the magazine’s annual gathering this weekend in New Orleans. Hayes cited Harris’ story of being bused as a young girl in Berkeley, California, which the California Democrat spoke about in last week’s Democratic presidential debate.

“In that moment, I knew exactly what she was talking about – she was talking about access to opportunity that would otherwise change the trajectory of her life,” Hayes said. “That resonated with me. That was me.”

Hayes was among the wave of freshmen women, particularly women of color, who swept into Congress during the 2018 midterms. Hayes is the 7th member of the Congressional Black Caucus to endorse Harris. Biden has support from 5 CBC members.

Hundreds of thousands of black women are expected to attend the Essence Festival and several 2020 hopefuls – including Harris, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, Beto O’ Rourke and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg — will address them.

Meanwhile, Harris rises in poll numbers as Biden’s support from black voters drops. Harris rose from 6 percent support to 10 percent support among all voters in new poll while Biden fell from 40 percent to about 20 percent support among African Americans