JOINT CENTER News Room
Joint Center Releases New Report on Blacks and the 2000 Republican Convention
July 27, 2000
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies released today its quadrennial report entitled Blacks and the 2000 Republican National Convention. Author David A. Bositis, senior research associate, examines the participation of African Americans in the Republican party and in this year's Philadelphia convention, black trends in partisanship and voting and summarizes their attitudes on key public policy issues.
"Because the 2000 presidential election will likely be very close, the black vote will play a pivotal role, paricularly in swing states," said Joint Center president Eddie N. Williams. "Blacks comprise a significant voting bloc in Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Louisiana, Ohio, New Jersey, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee-many of the states won by Bill Clinton in 1996 but are likely to strongly contested by George W. Bush this year. This report puts into perspective the significance of the black vote for the Republican party."
There are a total of 85 black GOP delegates attending this year's Republican National Convention. This represents a 63 % increase over the 1996 count and is the second highest delegate count for a Republican National Convention in the modern era. Prominent black Republicans participating in this year's convention include Retired General Colin Powell, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Condoleezza Rice, Governor Bush's national security advisor.
Although national surveys conducted by the Joint Center between 1984 and 1990 showed an increased appeal to the GOP among black voters, only 8.3 percent of black voters identify with the party today. African Americans over 50 vote solidly Democratic, but there has been a slight shift among younger blacks (18-25) to the Republican party. A recent Joint Center 2000 national survey of young African American adults revealed that 31.6 percent of younger blacks identified themselves as conservatives, which may bode well for GOP candidates.
Author David A. Bositis states that "although younger blacks today are somewhat more conservative than older African Americans on certain polcy issues, nevertheless these beliefs do not automatically translate into GOP support." Bositis predicts that "the 2000 elections will continue an African American Democratic voting trend- a trend now more than 35 years old."
To receive a copy of this report, please contact the Joint Center's Office of Communications and Marketing at 202-789-6366. In addition, a report entitled Blakcs and the 2000 Democratic National Convention will be released in August.
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The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies informs and illuminates the nation's major public policy debates through research, analysis, and information dissemination in order to: improve the socioeconomic status of black Americans and other minorities; expand their effective participation in the political and public policy arenas; and promote communications and relationships across racial and ethnic lines to strengthen the nation's pluralistic society.
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