In pitch to Black men, Harris proposes forgivable loans to Black entrepreneurs

Vice President Kamala Harris unveiled a new set of proposals to appeal to Black men, a key constituency for Democrats.

The proposal includes 1 million fully forgivable loans, up to $20,000, for Black entrepreneurs to start a business.

"For Vice President Harris, getting by is not enough—it’s about making sure that Black men in America have the opportunity to get ahead, to thrive, and to be the change agents in communities across the nation," the Harris-Walz campaign said.

Harris is also hoping to attract Black men who own cryptocurrency, which the campaign estimates is more than 20%. Harris said she would support a regulatory framework so the digital assets would be protected.

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The vice president also doubled down on her support for legalizing recreational marijuana.

"She will also fight to ensure that as the national cannabis industry takes shape, Black men—who have, for years, been overpoliced for marijuana use—are able to access wealth and jobs in this new market," the campaign said on Monday.

The so-called Opportunity Agenda for Black Men would also include the launch of a new health equity initiative to study health issues that disproportionately affect black men, including sickle cell and prostate cancers.

The proposals come on the heels of a New York Times/Sienna College poll that shows Republicans picking up some support of Black likely voters. The poll shows a 78% to 15% advantage. While that's still a major advantage, it's down from 2020 when Black support was 90% and in 2016 when it was 92%.