Black voters hold an unusual position in American politics. They vote heavily Democratic, as you know, and have for decades. The black population isn’t as large as the white population, so that Democratic dominance doesn’t tip the scales as much as it might otherwise; in general, the two parties are pretty evenly balanced when it comes to the national vote.
For Republicans with an eye on 2016, though, peeling off enough African American votes to shift the scales is a critical goal. CONT.
Philip Bump, Washington Post