Kamala Harris was caught off guard by a hot mic during a casual chat with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, admitting that the campaign is struggling with male voters. It happened during a stop at a bar in Kalamazoo—sorry, “Kamala-zoo,” as Whitmer playfully dubbed it. The pair sat down, beers pre-prepped for the cameras, when a reporter asked, “What are you having, Madam Vice President?” Harris answered with her signature cackle, “I’m having what she’s having.”
But things got interesting when Harris, in what she seemed to think was a private moment, admitted to Whitmer, “We need to move ground among men.” Whitmer gave a confirming “yeah,” highlighting what polls have shown for a while: men, and specifically young Black men, are slipping away from the Democrats. Realizing the microphones were picking up every word, Harris tried to laugh it off, saying, “Oh we have microphones in here listening to everything, I didn’t realize that… s**t, we just told all the family secrets,” before sharing another laugh with Whitmer.
Kamala and Gretchen Whitmer are caught on a hot mic at their very cringe drinking beer at bar scene:
"We need to move ground among men."
Then realizes they are probably getting recorded…
"Oh we have microphones in here just listening to everything … Sh**." pic.twitter.com/UeSOAdF30a
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) October 27, 2024
But the numbers behind the laughs don’t lie. According to a recent New York Times/Siena College poll, Harris’s support among Black voters is down to 78%, a drop from Biden’s 90% in 2020 and even further from Hillary Clinton’s 92% in 2016. And when it comes to Black men specifically, it’s even worse: only 70% of Black men support Harris, a sharp decline from Biden’s 85% in the last election. This is a red flag for the Democrats, especially in a must-win swing state like Michigan.
What’s the cause of the shift? There are many theories. Some say it’s the economic issues facing men—rising inflation and the cost of living, especially for working-class voters—that have made men skeptical of the current administration’s promises. Others point to a general feeling that the party’s message has drifted away from addressing everyday concerns. Either way, this data point has clearly got the Harris campaign scrambling to make up lost ground, particularly in crucial states like Michigan, where every vote could matter.
So, while Harris and Whitmer may have played off the hot-mic moment with laughter, they’ll likely need more than laughs to bring male voters back into the fold. The Democrats’ path to victory hinges on keeping their traditional base intact, and losing a key demographic would be a serious setback. If Harris wants to win back those voters, she may need a message that resonates a lot more than a barstool beer chat.