Reports that Jay Z is planning to host an Ohio concert to get out the vote for Hillary Clinton surfaced on Monday [October 24]. According to sources contacted by BuzzFeed, the event will take place in Cleveland in the lead up to election day, and will include performances by Jennifer Lopez, Katy Perry and Bon Jovi.
Ohio has been identified as a battleground state, with Clinton having trailed at points and currently edging Trump by a slim margin. While Jay Z has not outright publicly endorsed a candidate, Beyonce did appear with Clinton at a May fundraiser, and some of the artists scheduled to be at the concert have consistently stumped for Clinton over the past year. There is also word that Lebron James will show up to represent with his hometown.
Ohio's population is 13% African-American, and while African-Americans typically vote Democrat, the question remains as to whether voters will be motivated to show up for Clinton, who has lost some trust over the course of her presidential run. Clinton won 76% of the African-American vote during her Democratic primary race against Bernie Sanders, but according to data polled by NBC News, African-American voters under the age of 30 slightly leaned towards Sanders. It hasn't been much of a question as to whether Black voters will choose Trump, as he has consistently polled in the single digits among African-Americans, but with the election only weeks away, surrogates of both candidates will be pushing hard to encourage their base to get out on November 8.
Source: vibe.com
