RALEIGH -- In recent rallies, there has been a clear message from Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, he wants African-Americans to give him their vote.
But those watching this race closely say that won't be so easy.
“Donald Trump has nowhere to go but up with African-Americans,” said Tom Jensen with left-leaning Public Policy Polling, or PPP.
PPP says when it comes to courting African American voters, Mr. Trump could lose that demographic by historic proportions.
“Right now we find that both nationally and in North Carolina he is losing by 90 points with them,” said Jensen. “He is getting 3 percent of African-Americans nationally and 2 percent of African-Americans in North Carolina.”
At Duke's Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity, and Gender, co-director Kerry Haynie says Republicans have made appeals to win over black voters in the past, with positive results when it comes to social issues.
“If you look historically, Republicans have made efforts and have been somewhat successful in increasing the amount of support they get from black and Latino voters,” said Haynie.
Haynie says while Mr. Trump tries to win over more voters, he believes he will need to change the way he addresses the electorate.
“It's not just African-Americans,” he said. “It’s an array of minority groups and even the whites who find some of the rhetoric and his style off-putting.”