DISILLUSIONED BLACKS HURT DEMOCRATS
Ellen Sorokin
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
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Lower-than-expected black voter turnout hampered Democrats'
efforts to win key Southern states Tuesday, while Hispanic
voters were a driving force behind the Republicans' historic
win of both chambers of Congress, party officials and
political analysts said yesterday.
"Their base wasn't as aroused as our base," said Rep. Thomas
M. Davis III of Virginia, chairman of the Republican
Congressional Campaign Committee.
Recruitment of Hispanic and black voters was viewed as
crucial in dozens of races in every region of the country.
Last-minute pushes by the Rev. Jesse Jackson and former
President Bill Clinton on the final weekend before the
election did not make a difference among black voters in
Florida's governor's race.
In Georgia, where the county with the most blacks saw 13,000
fewer voters than four years earlier, Democratic Gov. Roy
Barnes lost to Republican Sonny Perdue and Sen. Max Cleland
loss to Republican Rep. Saxby Chambliss.
"How can this happen?" asked University of Georgia political
scientist Charles Bullock. "One of two ways: Either, one,
blacks didn't turn out. Or, two, blacks were voting
Republican. I think blacks not turning out is more likely."
Some pollsters said yesterday they heard that black turnout
was "very heavy" in large cities such as Baltimore, Detroit,
Atlanta and St. Louis. In fact, the turnout rate exceeded
the goals.
The problem is black voters weren't impressed with
Democratic candidates' messages this year, but Latino voters
were with Republicans.
"The Democrats didn't energize voters this year," said Del
Ali, president of Rockville-based Research 2000, which
analyzes political races. "Their message was lukewarm and
not motivational."
He also said voters were not blaming President Bush for
recent poor economic performance and Democrats offered
little alternative anyway.
Perhaps, the black vote wasn't enough for Democrats to win,
like in the case of Maryland gubernatorial candidate Lt.
Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend who lost the governorship to
Republican Rep. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.
"Black voters turned out and voted for Mrs. Townsend, but
she didn't get the same support from other constituent
bases," Democratic pollster Mark Mellman said. "It just
wasn't enough."
Rep. Cynthia A. McKinney, who was defeated in this year's
Democratic primary in Georgia, said Tuesday's election
results shows that Democrats failed to value their
traditional black base.
"While the national pundits postulate on the reasons why
minority voters didn't turn out, minority voters themselves
know the truth," she said. "For generations, the Democratic
Party has taken the minority vote for granted."
Republicans won their seats, with a lot of help from the
Hispanic community.
In Florida, Gov. Jeb Bush was re-elected with more than 60
percent of the Latino vote. In New York, Gov. George E.
Pataki was re-elected with nearly 50 percent of the Hispanic
vote. In Texas, Gov. Rick Perry was re-elected with more
than one-third of the Latino vote, according to figures
compiled by the Republican National Committee (RNC).
Republican Sen. Wayne Allard, of Colorado, won El Paso
County, which has about 58,400 Hispanics, by 53,445 votes.
In Georgia, Rep. Saxby Chambliss won Gwinnett County, which
has the largest Hispanic population, by 39,346 votes. In
North Carolina, Elizabeth H. Dole won Wake County, the
county with the state's second-largest Hispanic population
by 22,405 voters, the RNC numbers show.
More than $9 million was spent by gubernatorial, Senate, and
House candidates on nearly 14,000 Spanish-language
television spots, setting a nationwide record for
non-presidential election years and numerous statewide
records, said Adam Segal, a researcher at Johns Hopkins
University and editor of the Johns Hopkins Journal of
American Politics.
Democrats didn't get the same support from the black voters.
Henry Crespo, president of the Miami-Dade Democratic Black
Caucus, said Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill McBride
did not connect with black voters in South Florida, despite
the backing of some key local leaders.
"Clearly, what he did was go to a couple of chiefs to get
their approval and expect us to come out and vote for him
with a promise for a pie when historically we only get
crumbs," Mr. Crespo said. "The black electorate is smarter
than that."
•<I>This story is based in part on wire service reports.</I>
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