Alarm bells should be ringing at Biden HQ if we are going to avoid a repeat of 2016. While we have heard from the Biden campaign that they are doing well with women of color, we are hearing from women of color leaders in key swing states that many of them have not yet even received a call from the campaign, and they believe more investment is needed in the women of color vote to ensure high turnout and a Biden Administration. 

Again and again, this sentiment rang true: "Until there's a real addressing of the real heart of what we're facing right now [by the Biden campaign], I'm really worried about whether it's going to really move communities of color. We're activating now in terms of a crisis but it isn't enough to get people to actually get to the polls ...will we be sucked into life as usual, the status quo? That's my biggest concern." - Michigan organizer

Recent polls show Biden leading Trump, and Biden polling strong over Trump. Yet, the Biden campaign and the Democratic Party cannot allow themselves to get complacent. Nothing is in the bag. The Biden campaign needs a large, dedicated investment towards voter turnout and political outreach to women of color, specifically Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian American and Pacific Islander women in swing states. Historically, women of color are the most loyal Democrats, and Biden will no doubt win the vast majority of this critical constituency. But what is at stake are the turnout numbers, because the lesson of 2016 is that we need record turnout of women of color to win battleground states and the electoral college. We need a woman of color as the Vice Presidential nominee. But mostly, the Biden campaign needs to realize there is a problem, so they can start fixing it. 

Trump’s disastrous handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, his attacks on immigrants, and violent response to Black Lives Matter demonstrations may be costing him the national popularity contest, but November is still about voter turnout and the electoral college. The Democrats’ pathway to the White House is through their ability to inspire women of color voters in key states to show up at the polls and bring our communities with us. But right now, the very women who are leading this effort where Biden needs it the most have yet to even be contacted by the campaign.

She the People has heard rumblings of discontent from our networks for many months, and so we embarked on a series of focus-group style listening sessions with women of color leaders from across swing states to get to the bottom of what’s happening. What we found was deeply concerning — a complete lack of enthusiasm, deep skepticism of the Biden campaign’s support of women of color, and no faith that there was a plan to fix it. 

It is early in the campaign — and there is time to address many of these concerns. Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian American and Pacific Islander women want to win in November. We want to defeat Trump, and we have clear and concrete ideas about how to get there.