African Americans in MD Vote Republican...GOOD

1/4 of African American Vote to Republicans in MD


In the up-coming election in MD, some polls are predicting as many as 25% of African Americans could vote Republican. As compared to the last largest increase in African American votes in 2004 of 12% who voted for Bush. An increase of this significance could result in a victory for Michael Steele for US Senate. As a lifelong Democrat, I could not be more pleased.

Since the 1988 election when African American participation reached a all time high, due in most part to the Jesse Jackson presidential candidacy, African American turnout has been on the steady decline. As it has declined, although we tended to vote 90+% democratic, the Democratic Party has vigorously continued its efforts to marginalize the African American vote.

As a person on the “inside”, I can bear witness to the fights with whites controlling the party to move money and resources into the black community to ensure they turnout. Hours and hours of conversation with white candidates to convince them to do more than show up at the largest black church in the area on Sunday, but rather it would be more significant to connect with blacks in their communities and join with them to fight important issues in their neighborhoods. The irony is that it is these same ministers who have led the charge against the white Democratic Party establishment.

Now, let me be honest. I am a MD voter. I am African American. I am a registered Democrat. I am a political professional. And I am glad the % of African Americans voting republican is dramatically increasing. My hope is that this will be a wake up call for party leaders. People are not going to continue to vote in lock step, while being marginalized. The Democratic Party will need to wake up and realize that they must invest work and resources into recapturing its African American base. And for this revelation, I say FINALLY!!!!

(Now, I just have to pray that this result does not have the opposite effect of further marginalizing the black vote from fear that base building in this community will turn out Republican votes.)

Okay, last thing. Let me be clear… I am not going to vote for Michael Steele. While I love his commercials and I think he is saying what MD voters (black and white) want to here, he is not the best choice for working families and African Americans in MD. As part of the Republican Party and as a candidate, Steele does not represent the issues that will move people from poverty to prosperity or from illiterate to educated, he is an ineffectual leader who says a little and performs even less. I will be voting and fighting for democrats , including Ben Cardin, to win in November, but I look forward to 2007 and the data to show that African Americans are a monolithic community no more.