Democratic presidential candidates set to court Black voters at Sharpton’s NAN Convention

A parade of potential 2028 presidential contenders is set to take the stage this week at the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network (NAN) Convention for an early audition aimed at courting Black voters, one of the Democratic Party’s most powerful constituencies. 

In a party where Black voters have repeatedly shaped the outcome of the Democratic primary, the gathering will offer a rare and early opportunity for the candidates — including former Vice President Kamala Harris, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro — to begin building credibility with the voting bloc. 

“Black voters are a core — if not the core — group of constituents in the Democratic coalition and this is the first time these candidates are going to be sized up,” Democratic strategist Joel Payne said. “It’s a chance to reset narratives, and set what your public profile might be.” 

The event, Payne added, will “start to give you a sense of what this field is going to look like.” 

At the epicenter of the event is Harris — the 2024 Democratic nominee who inherited the campaign after then-President Biden exited the race. She arrives as the most prominent figure in the field of would-be candidates, with deep ties to Black voters who helped bolster her campaign. 

“She is the pace car,” Payne said. “She is where the story starts.” 

But her appearance is set against a backdrop of lingering questions about how she would navigate a crowded........

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