Republican and Black
The party offers a strong field of statewide contenders
He still has to survive the primary, but Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Keith Butler says a victory in November could spark a political revolution. A megachurch pastor and former Detroit councilman, Butler is one of four African-American Republicans with a shot at winning a Senate or gubernatorial race this year, the strongest such field in decades. And a win by even one or two, Butler says, could break the Democrats' near monopoly on black voters, remaking the American political landscape. "General Powell and Condi Rice are great, but if you really want to speak to African-Americans, you have to elect them as governors and senators," Butler says. "Until you are validated by an election, you're not considered a full leader."
None of the four candidates is a shoo-in. Butler and Ohio gubernatorial hopeful Ken Blackwell must win tough primaries. In Maryland, U.S. Senate candidate Michael Steele faces an overwhelmingly Democratic electorate. And in Pennsylvania, former football star Lynn Swann must prove he is qualified to be governor despite no experience in public office. Still, just fielding so many competitive candidates represents a Republican revolution. Now, those candidates will be closely watched to see if any can defy what has long been a political reality: Black GOP candidates don't translate into more black GOP votes.
Tenacious. The crop of black candidates is the result of party recruiting and persistence by figures like Butler and Blackwell, both active in the GOP since being inspired by Ronald Reagan. "Friends used to say, 'They don't like you; why waste your time?'" says Steele, now Maryland lieutenant governor. "I said, 'I could either leave the party or try to change it.'"
Since becoming Republican National Committee chairman last year, Ken Mehlman says he has supplemented an "outreach" model of showing up in black communities before Election Day with an "inclusion" model that continually solicits advice from black leaders. He has convened an African-American advisory board that includes virtually all of 2006's black statewide candidates, even low-profile contenders like Vermont's state auditor. This spring, the RNC will sponsor its first training school for minority candidates. Says Mehlman: "It's both a landmark year and part of a building process."
But Democrats note that black support for President Bush in 2004, while up from 2000, was only 11 percent, and they don't see it climbing. "The administration's mishandling of Katrina," says Democratic strategist Donna Brazile, "stymied their ability to find resonance with black America." Running black candidates may actually be more an attempt to reach white swing voters. "If you embrace African-Americans, how conservative can you be?" says David Bositis of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. "It is essentially a feint."
Still, black GOP candidates are targeting black voters with support for school vouchers and opposition to gay marriage. "African-Americans know I spent part of my childhood in public housing," says Blackwell, now Ohio secretary of state. But, he adds, "I am a natural heir of the Reagan revolution."
With With Kenneth T. Walsh and
This story appears in the February 27, 2006 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.