Black voters enabled the blue wave in 2018. Here's what motivated them, and what it means for 2020
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There is no doubt that black voters will play a definitive role in the 2020 election cycle. For the last several years, politicians and the media have paid increasing attention to the choices and motivations of black voters and our ability to influence elecBlack voters enabled the blue wave in 2018. Here's what motivated them, and what it means for 2020
There is no doubt that black voters will play a definitive role in the 2020 election cycle. For the last several years, politicians and the media have paid increasing attention to the choices and motivations of black voters and our ability to influence elections. But there is often confusion, misunderstanding, or outright ignorance about the black electorate on the part of the dominant (white) culture. Mainstream media has fallen woefully short in this regard, often boiling black voters down to a monolithic group that will always vote in lockstep with the Democratic Party, come what may. Since polling data on black voters is often incomplete or lacking altogether, it is important that we learn from the information that is already out there, especially when it is coming from black-led organizations. Going into the 2018 midterms, Black PAC, an organization dedicated to the political engagement of black voters, commissioned a large-sample poll of black voters in eight battle ground states. It discovered that there was no single issue motiving black voters in the election cycle, because black folks were concerned about a variety of things, including economic insecurity, wages, housing, health care, education, and college affordability. However, racial justice was the most motivating issue that ultimately moved black voters to head to the polls. More recently, Black PAC followed up post-midterms with black voters in those same battleground states to learn more about their reasons for voting and to mine lessons for 2020. In a telephone interview with Adrienne Shropshire, executive director of Black PAC, and Democratic pollster Cornell Belcher of Brilliant Corners Research and Strategies, Daily Kos learned more about issues faced by the black electorate in 2018. Read more