Philip Klinkner, the James S. Sherman Associate Professor of Government, was interviewed by the Chicago Tribune for an article about politics and race. According to the article, "Klinkner, who has tried to measure the impact of race on elections nationwide, has scrutinized every single senate and governor's race between 1960 and 2002 and found that black candidates overall averaged five fewer percentage points than whites."
"Having a black candidate loses you about five points, assuming all other things are equal," Klinkner concludes. "That doesn't mean you automatically lose. But if you spot the other team five points, it's much more difficult."
According to the article, "There is undoubtedly a close historical connection between African-Americans and the Democrats, who have traditionally been the party of civil rights, while Republican candidates have often played on racial prejudices, especially to win votes in the South."
Klinkner said, "There is a huge credibility gulf between African-Americans and the Republican Party. They just see the Republican Party as being at best apathetic to the interests of African-Americans, and at worst, downright hostile." Noting that black registration has remained about 85 percent Democratic for decades, he adds, "Columnists have been writing about an impending change [in party loyalty] among African-American voters, but it hasn't happened."
