Activist looks to sway Black men on the climate law

By Kelsey Brugger | 10/28/2024 01:26 PM EDT

Democrats have been struggling to turn the Inflation Reduction Act into votes. They’re also losing support among voters of color.

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris sits in conversation with Black men at Philly Cuts barbershop.

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris sits in conversation with Black men at Philly Cuts barbershop during a campaign stop Sunday. Susan Walsh/AP

Vice President Kamala Harris may not be talking much about the Democrats’ big climate law, but businessman and activist Andre Banks is — and with a constituency the Democrats are struggling to retain: Black men.

Banks, CEO of marketing and creative services firm A-B, launched the “Payback Campaign” to show people in key swing states — Nevada, Georgia and Arizona — how the Inflation Reduction Act can save them money.

“Payback” is not affiliated with the Harris team, Banks said, but his agency has worked with them on other projects. He was also a board member of the group Color of Change.

Advertisement

Banks has been running his Inflation Reduction Act-focused project since earlier this year to sell the Biden administration’s green policies — particularly to men of color — as Democrats have struggled to turn the historic law into votes.

GET FULL ACCESS