Voters say they think it's more important for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden to pick a person of color as his running mate than they did two months ago, according to a new Morning Consult/Politico poll.
It also found that voters have a much higher opinion of the Black Lives Matter movement than they did three years ago after the clashes in Charlottesville.
In a poll of about 2,000 registered voters on June 6-7, 29% said it was somewhat or very important for Biden to pick a person of color. That's compared to 22% in April.
Among white voters, 26% said it was important, up from 19% in April. But among black voters, the importance went down -- from 43% in April to 39% in June.
Biden has already pledged to pick a woman to be his vice presidential running mate and recently said that announcement will come by Aug. 1. Among the women of color he is known or rumored to be considering are Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla. and former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has also emerged as a possible choice.
In regards to Black Lives Matter, 61% of voters said they view the movement favorably now compared to 30% who see it unfavorably. Compare that to August 2017 when it was 37% favorable vs. 48% unfavorable. That was right after the clash between white supremacists and counter-protesters during 2017 demonstrations in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The favorability number has gone up among all major demographics polled, including Republicans (From 14% to 36%); Independents (31% to 58%); Democrats (61% to 82%); black voters (65% to 82%) and white voters (31% to 56%).
The change in sentiment about Black Lives Matter comes amid nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd, a black man, in Minneapolis police custody.
