The changing demographics of politics and race: At least 26 Black House candidates have won primaries this year in districts with large shares of white residents
Black candidates have begun winning more House seats and statewide offices, such as attorney general, in places where most voters are white—a departure from decades in which Black political power was rooted largely in minority communities.
Officials and political analysts say these recent victories could position Black candidates to win the highest statewide offices. There have been only two elected Black governors and six senators since Reconstruction. The 2018 midterm elections were a landmark in the House. Eight Black candidates, all Democrats, won seats in majority-white or plurality-white districts, some in which 70% to 80% of residents are white, including in New York’s Hudson Valley and the suburbs outside Chicago and Denver. Many benefited from the year’s, which was the highest in a century for midterms and especially helped Democrats in suburbs near big cities.
The wins brought to 14 the number of Black House members representing largely white constituencies, up from eight in the prior Congress, and raised the total number of Black lawmakers in the House to a record 52. Of those, 51 are Democrats and one is Republican: Will Hurd of Texas, who is retiring this year.
This year, at least 26 Black candidates—22 Democrats and four Republicans—have won primary elections in additional districts with large shares of white residents. While most have tough challenges in November, at least 10 are in races considered competitive by nonpartisan analysts. One, Mondaire Jones, is heavily favored to win in a solidly Democratic district in New York.
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