On November 7th, 2017, when Democrat Ralph Northam won the Virginia Governorship over Republican Ed Gillespie, and Democrats overwhelmed Republicans across the state in the most sweeping House of Delegates shift since Reconstruction, pundits largely attributed the victory to white, college-educated women. This was a partial truth at best.
Nate Cohn of the New York Times was among the few who described the win more accurately:
"Team Northam's turnout operation seems to have done its job, with voting up across much of Northern Virginia despite terrible weather (though higher early voting also contributed to the results).
African-Americans were a steady 20 percent of the electorate, nearly as high as in last year's presidential election. And Latino and Asian voting was notably higher."
Yes, Northam carried 42 percent of the white vote, higher than Hillary in 2016 (35 percent), Mark Warner in 2014 (37 percent), Terry McAuliffe in 2013 (36 percent), and Barack Obama in either 2008 (39 percent) or 2012 (37 percent). But without the higher turnout from Black Voters, what happened in Virginia would not have happened.
Similarly, and with even more clarity, last night, when the Red State of Alabama elected Democrat Doug Jones to the United States Senate last night, defeating the slavery loving, sexual predator, child abuser, Putin and Trump embracing Roy Moore, Black Voters mattered.
Some voters in Alabama dithered on the importance of Moore's unusual sexual history. On Election Day, an MSNBC report based on exit polls stated that 54% of voters said that Roy Moore sexual allegations were not major factor impacting their vote. This was higher but consistent with a November poll in which 34% of likely voters said the allegations made no difference.
White women, in particular, as a group, did the wrong thing. According to CNN's exit polls, only 34 percent of white women voted for Jones, with 63 percent of that voter bloc offering their support to Moore.
Black Voters, on the other hand, were steadfast and committed.
Here is The Washington Post summary of the Black Voter turnout.
Washington Post, December 13, 2017.
"Doug Jones would not have won today without the turnout we saw from African-American voters," Symone Sanders, a Democratic strategist, told Newsweek. "Black women have been absolutely clear in their support for Democratic policies and Democratic candidates. It's high time for Democrats...to invest in that effort."
Doug Jones did. When he entered the race against Moore, he was not particularly well-known in Alabama. But Alabama voters, including Black Voters, soon learned, from state-wide television ads, that in 1963, he had successfully prosecuted two white Klansmen for the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham that killed four African-American girls.
Denise McNair, Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley, the four little girls killed by a 1963 KKK church bombing.
Jones made consistent appeals to Black Voters. He toured black churches with Representative Terri Sewell, an African-American congresswoman and others. High-profile black leaders made appearances on his behalf, including Representative and Civil Rights Legend John Lewis of Georgia and Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey. During Election Week, President Obama made robot-calls for him to get out the vote.
As the New York Times reported today, Michael Nabors, 54, and his wife, Ella, 55, were among the Black Voters soaking up the Democratic good cheer after news agencies called the race for Mr. Jones. Mr. Nabors' words provide a sample which makes clear why providing Black Voters with a reason for support paid off.
"We knew the world was looking at us," he [Mr.Nabors] said.
Mr. Nabors said that black voters were paying attention to Mr. Moore's comments in September,in which he said that America was last "great" during the days when slavery was legal. He said they paid attention when Mr. Moore brought Stephen K. Bannon, the former Trump adviser, to campaign for him. He said that they paid attention to the allegations brought by the women who said Mr. Moore had consorted with them when they were young.
And he said they paid attention to Mr. Jones's most famous case as a prosecutor
"Those four little girls are on their feet tonight at 16th Street Baptist Church, celebrating," he said. "They're celebrating in spirit."
As are we all.
Conclusion from Alabama: Black Voters Matter.
Can the Democratic Party learn from Alabama that creating campaigns to appeal to white men, a la Sanders or Trump, is not the winning formula, or the right thing?
Take that, Donald Trump.
Take that, Mitch McConnell.
Take that, Paul Ryan.
Take that, Bernie Sanders.
Take that, DNC.
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December 13, 2017
