Key Points
• Black voters are a crucial voting bloc in the upcoming Democratic primary season, particularly in the South.
• White candidates with proven bona fides among black voters can compete for the black vote, even against other black candidates, as Joe Biden is showing (at least for now).
• The differing backgrounds of Kamala Harris and Cory Booker provide each with unique avenues to appeal to black voters.
• Whites, not blacks, are driving the growth in liberal self-identification among Democrats. CONT.
Theodore R. Johnson (Brennan Center), Sabato’s Crystal Ball