Date: 2024-04-24 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00020973
US Politics
Election 2022
Black Democrats target GOP
Illustration of a pair of black hands pulling a rug out from underneath an elephant's foot. Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
Original article: https://www.axios.com/black-democrats-challenging-house-republicans-c2d0f153-c986-4835-810e-23e7bb0a9b12.html
Burgess COMMENTARY
Sadly, Republicans in the USA have no shame. In my view their goals and their policies are out of sync with modern times ... more suited to the 19th century, when white supremacy was the order of the day, and there was a 'frontier' in the United States and there was territory to be settled. Those times are long gone, but many of the myths persist. This bit of news is positive ... black men stepping up to enter the political fray.
During the last four decades, the GOP has been very effective in making democracy work in their favor. They have done a lot to redraw congressional district lines in favor of themselves making it harder and harder for Democrats to get elected. In the distant past the Democrats were good at this as well, but not so much in the last 40 years. The GOP has had more opportunity to appoint judges who have a conservative bent, and the damage that will be done to the country because of this is likely to be serious ... the American justice system has been distorted in favor of the white race and conservative means as much as anything, that this will continue. Everyone should get to vote and everyone's vote should count.
Peter Burgess
Report by Alexi McCammond
September 13th, 2021
A growing group of Black Democrats — mostly men — is stepping up to try to unseat Republican House members in California, Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina and Illinois.
Why it matters: Although independent analysts like the Cook Political Report think the members' districts are friendly GOP territory, a Black political group backing the challengers believes the candidates have a chance because of their local ties and the districts' changing demographics.
The backdrop: So far, nine Black Democrats are running to challenge Republicans in these states, but The Collective PAC tells Axios that number will grow by five or more. All but one is a Black man.
- The group looked for candidates with experience in fields that directly serve the community, such as pastors, doctors, educators, veterans and community leaders.
- It's also supporting six Congressional Black Caucus members who are so-called frontline members and running tough re-election races in 2022: Democratic Reps. Lauren Underwood (Ill.-14), Lucy McBath (Ga.-6), Steven Horsford (Nev.-4), Jahana Hayes (Conn.-5), Colin Allred (Texas-32) and Antonio Delgado (N.Y.-19).
- The Republicans they're targeting so far include: Reps. Tom McClintock (Calif.-4), David Schweikert (Ariz.-6), Devin Nunes (Calif.-22), Mike Garcia (Calif.-25), Ken Calvert (Calif.-42), Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.-14), Rodney Davis (Ill.-13) and Madison Cawthorn (N.C.-11).
- They're also supporting Michele Rayner, Black civil rights and justice attorney running in Florida's 13th District, the St. Petersburg-area district held by retiring Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.).
- 'We’re being one of the loudest, strongest, boldest voices supporting Black candidates running for office around the country.'
- Kermit Jones, a physician running against Republican Rep. Tom McClintock in California's 4th District, told Axios his work and mother's Stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis pushed him to run for Congress.
- 'We don't have a lot of people [in the U.S. House of Representatives] who understand medicine, who have worked on the frontlines and who have seen patients.'
- He said witnessing his mother's struggle to get quality access to care for her cancer refocused what he could do to help.
- 'I felt that even if I saw patients every day until I retire, I wouldn't be able to do enough unless I went in there [Congress] to actually help get people the care that they need,' Jones said.
- But Olasanoye of The Collective said that will be coming soon, and the group identified the districts based on where redistricting is likely to have the least effect on the existing district and where there aren't multiple Black candidates running in a primary.
- The 117th Congress has 57 Black representatives, but only two are Republicans, according to Pew Research. However, Republicans brought in nine of the non-white freshman representatives in the current Congress.
- That said, the group isn't ruling out getting involved in other Dem-on-Dem primaries, Olasanoye said.