Black Voters Are No Longer Democrats’ Safety Net

Two recent election results have Black voters, strategists and activists talking. One is the Senate Democratic primary in Texas, which saw Representative Jasmine Crockett lose pretty handily to James Talarico, a White candidate who is centrist in bearing if not in policy. The other is the Senate Democratic primary in Illinois, which saw Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton beat a crowded and diverse field that included another Black female candidate, a victory that almost certainly puts Stratton on a path to become the third Black person elected to serve in the upper chamber from the Land of Lincoln. (There have only been 14 Black US Senators since 1789.)

The contests left fresh intra-party divisions which will have to be sorted out as November approaches. Some wonder if Talarico, who ran strong among Latino and White voters, can rally Black voters to his side after a bitter and racially stratified primary, which left many Black women feeling like the party has abandoned them. Some say that Stratton, who won with the backing (and funding) of Governor JB Pritzker, isn’t getting enough credit for her own victory, with Pritzker getting lots of headlines as the muscle behind her win. All of this comes as a coalition of organizing groups is trying to figure out how to boost not only Black representation, but Black participation. It also comes as gerrymandering and a weakened Voting Rights Act could shrink the number of Black elected officials, watering down the power of Black voters.