Black voters have the power to make tomorrow a historic day. For the past several months, BEA has worked to ensure they are engaged and mobilized — with your partnership and support.

BEA focused on three electoral priorities this election cycle: electing Vice President Harris as President, elevating Hakeem Jeffries to Speaker of the House, and ensuring continued Black women representation in the United States Senate.

In September, BEA PAC endorsed Angela Alsobrooks (MD), Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE), and Colin Allred (TX) for the United States Senate. All three candidates have a demonstrated, long-standing commitment to breaking down barriers to Black economic opportunity. The endorsements of Alsobrooks and Blunt Rochester also reflect BEA PAC’s strategic goal of increasing Black women’s representation in the United States Senate. BEA PAC previously endorsed Colin Allred’s 2018, 2020, and 2022 campaigns for the United States House of Representatives.

In October, BEA PAC announced endorsements in eleven U.S. House races critical to elevating House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to the Speakership this November. These races were chosen both for their districts’ importance to electing Hakeem Jeffries as Speaker and because the candidates themselves have demonstrated a commitment to a Black work, wages, and wealth agenda.

BEA commissioned polls and focus groups — conducted by Lake Research Partners from August 7-19 and HIT Research, respectively — which found that economic issues are the top 4 issues for Black male voters, above immigration, abortion, and national security, and that Black business leaders are the most trusted messengers on those issues (13 % higher than celebrities, economists, elected officials, and other typical validators). BEA has leveraged our unique position as the most trusted messengers on economic issues to motivate and mobilize infrequent Black voters — with a focus on Black male voters.

In October, BEA launched a texting program and a digital ad buy targeting infrequent Black voters, with a focus on Black men, in Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. The texting program features messages from business leaders discussing the importance of voting for candidates who will prioritize Black work, wages, and wealth and advance an opportunity economy. BEA sent 2.8 million texts, with engagement rates up to 40 percent and saw measurable movement towards Vice President Harris and away from President Trump among recipients. The digital ad, “The Table,” was targeted to voters in the same five states, and ran on YouTube and all major connected TV networks’ platforms, including Paramount, Warner Brothers, and NBC Universal. As part of BEA and BET’s election-season partnership, “The Table” is running across BET’s platforms, further expanding the spot’s reach among the target demographic. “The Table” has aired for three weeks, with over 4.6M views and a completion rate above 90%. Voters in the targeted districts have seen the ad an average of eight times.

Also in October, BEA PAC released a letter signed by top Black business leaders across the country including Roz Brewer, Ursula Burns, Ken Chenault, Morgan DeBaun, Rich Dennis, Ken Frazier, and more – with many from key battleground states – endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris’ economic agenda. The letter, which was covered in the New York Times, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Forbes, and Black Enterprise, contrasted Vice President Harris’ concrete plans for an opportunity economy with the “destabilizing and potentially economically devastating ideas” put forward by Former President Donald Trump and his allies.

On October 28, BEA hosted a virtual town hall titled “What Do Black Men Want?”, attended and watched by over 6,000 thousand people, on the challenges and opportunities facing Black men in the lead-up to this Election Day, with a focus on the economic issues that BEA’s polling found are of top concern for Black voters. Black businessmen and other leaders – including BEA Co-Chairs Tony Coles and Charles Phillips, BEA Board Member Richelieu Dennis, Peabody Award winner D.L. Hughley, CEO of Black Star Network and Host of #RolandMartinUnfiltered Roland Martin – shared insights and resources that influencers and thought leaders need to activate Black male voters in their networks. BEA, along with our production partner, Values Partnerships, repackaged the video content from this event and to share it with key influencers — with significant reach in GA, MI, PA — with more than 8.2 million followers across platforms.