Black Voters and the Fight for Democracy is a multipart series that explores the stakes of the 2024 election for our communities. This project was produced as part of the Advancing Democracy Fellowship. Deidre Lesesne, a Pittsburgh-based poll worker, remembers the anger that seized her in 2020 when a group of white election observers harassed […]
Brandon Tensley
Brandon Tensley is Capital B's national politics reporter.
Posted inEconomy, Elections, Politics & Policy
Harris Covers Wide Range of Topics in NABJ Interview
Weeks after the National Association of Black Journalists caught flak for hosting former President Donald Trump at its annual convention in Chicago, a panel of three NABJ members sat down with his rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, in Philadelphia. Harris’ campaign was in talks with NABJ in July to determine whether a virtual or in-person […]
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy
‘We Have Something to Say’: Younger Black Voters Want Attention on Gaza
Some younger Black voters feel that the Democrats’ message of “freedom” this election cycle rings a little bit hollow. Many are enthusiastic that Vice President Kamala Harris is at the top of a major political party’s ticket. But they’re also concerned that the party’s calls for freedom and a more inclusive democracy are too narrow […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Harris vs. Trump — Five Takeaways From the Debate
Vice President Kamala Harris met former president Donald Trump in a sparring match, moderated by ABC News’ David Muir and Linsey Davis. Harris aimed to keep Trump on the ropes. “Donald Trump was fired by 81 million people,” she said, in an attempt to bruise her Republican rival’s ego. Trump platformed a conspiracy theory that […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Presidential Debate Preview: Harris vs. Trump
On Tuesday, in the first debate between the two political rivals, Vice President Kamala Harris will duke it out with former President Donald Trump. In the run-up to the crucial fight, Harris’ supporters are talking about how she’ll address – or defend – her identity on the grand stage Harris’ candidacy represents a form of […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
10 Questions Capital B Readers Have for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz
There is a lot at risk for our communities in the 2024 presidential election, from access to the ballot box to reproductive justice to financial support for Black farmers. Borrowing a page from their Republican rivals’ book, Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, have framed the contest as a […]
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy, Rural Issues
Georgia Residents React to Harris-Walz Rally in Savannah
When Brandon Byrd learned that Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz would be in his home state of Georgia to campaign this week, he responded: “It’s about damn time.” Byrd understands rural areas better than most as a native of Metter, a 30% Black town of fewer than 4,000 people. Since 2021, […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Kamala Harris, Democrats Take on New Tone at DNC
For years, Democrats have been criticized for refusing to stand up for themselves. They’ve gotten flak for going high when their Republican rivals go low. The Democratic Party faithful simply want their leaders and allies to, as one Beyoncé song goes, twirl on their haters. And this week, they did. Their approach seemed tactical — […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Can Kamala Harris Recreate the Political Momentum of 2008?
Black Voters and the Fight for Democracy is a multipart series that explores the stakes of the 2024 election for our communities. This project was produced as part of the Advancing Democracy Fellowship. Jovita Lee wasn’t old enough to vote in 2008, when Barack Obama was at the top of the Democratic Party ticket. But […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics & Policy
Harris Shares Vision for the Economy
Before a crowd in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Friday, Vice President Kamala Harris laid out her economic agenda — her first big policy proposal since President Joe Biden’s abrupt departure from the race in July. It was Harris’ latest effort during her warp-speed campaign for the White House to reintroduce herself to voters, who know […]