Tyre Nichols was beaten to death in the hands of police officers, reviving calls for reform in policing. This shift in focus from a key constituency is putting pressure on President Joe Biden ahead of an expected announcement about his reelection campaign.

But, between Biden’s meeting at the Congressional Black Caucus and the dim prospect for policing reforms, Democrats downplay concerns that the president might have issues with black voters next year if he runs for reelection.

Antjuan Seawright, Democratic strategist, says that there is a history of frustration. Therefore, it is unlikely Democrats will need to deal with a lackluster turnout and enthusiasm among black voters in 2024.

Seawright used the House’s George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in 2021 to prove his point. Biden responded to the Senate’s failure in negotiations by signing an identical executive order.

“He did parts of it. Seawright said that he hasn’t finished what he started. “As black people, we know that our true power is at the ballot box. So we vote for that reason.”

Seawright is supported by polling, but Quinnipiac University polls taken a year apart show a slight decline in support for Biden from black respondents. The number of people strongly disapproving the president has increased slightly, rising from 11% to 14% last year.

Seawright admitted that Democrats still have work to do to “remind” black men of the party’s record and “educating them on, when It comes to policy decisions, and policy ideas,” how Democrats are different from Republicans.

He said that he thought it was political malpractice for Republicans to assume anything about black men or the relationship between their politics.

Jamaal Bowman (D.NY) also criticized Biden on Wednesday regarding police reform. He told CNN that the president had not been a leader in the area.

We need him to be a leader in this time. “Historical leadership” is what I mean by Roosevelt-and Lincoln-type historic leadership on the issue, the Congressional Black Caucus member said about former Presidents Theodore Roosevelt & Abraham Lincoln.

“You want us to be safer?” He asked. “Invest in … ending poverty. Invest in housing. Invest in climate. Invest in education. … We are adding more police to feed the prison industrial complex. This must stop.

On Wednesday, the Republican National Committee celebrated Black History Month by highlighting how black communities have been “burdened” with higher prices and lower salaries when accounting for inflation.

A spokesperson for the RNC stated that “Biden’s radical policies have damaged the black community, leading us to a loss in support from black voters to Biden — and for the Democrat Party — because we fail to best represent our interests.”

Seawright was not deterred by Rep. Al Green (D.TX), another Congressional Black Caucus Member: “Once it is known, it motivates African American voters to vote in greater numbers knowing that a few Democrats along with recalcitrant Republicans have prevented vital lifesaving reforms from being enacted.”

Biden reiterated his preference that Congress pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. He stated that lawmakers “should do this right now” and “should have done so before.”

“As you all know, I made it through an executive order on the federal side. He said that he couldn’t have done it without the support of the rest.

Kamala Harris, Vice President, also amplified Biden’s calls during her eulogy for Nichols’ funeral in Memphis, Tennessee on Wednesday. She had accepted an invitation from Nichols’s family after calling them to express her condolences.

“We demand Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Joe Biden will sign the bill,” she stated. We should not delay and we won’t be denied. It is indisputable.”

In response to a question about negotiations that were stalled by disagreements over qualified immunity, a Senate Republican aide wrote two words: “Nothing new.”

Despite Nichols’s mother and stepfather expecting to attend Biden’s State of the Union address next Wednesday with Steven Horsford (D-NV), the president has not yet introduced any new policies. His aides are said to be preparing to launch his reelection campaign shortly thereafter, advocating South Carolina where the majority of black Democratic primary voters secured him the nomination for 2020.

Olivia Dalton, White House deputy press secretary, defends Biden’s executive actions earlier this week. She explains how the order “mandated stricter force standards and accountability provisions to federal law enforcement as well as measures that strengthen accountability at state and local levels.”

She stated that President Biden was committed to making every effort to correct — to make sure our criminal justice system lives up the promise of fair, impartial justice, equal treatment and dignity for all.