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Article: African American Inroads for the GOP
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- April 27, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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Last year three African Americans running statewide for offices in
the same state were all elected, something that had never happened
before in any state, even during Reconstruction. The African
Americans are Democrats, and the state is one of those proudly,
reliably liberal ones -- Massachusetts, perhaps, or California,
right?
Wrong. The state is Texas, and all three winners are Republicans.
Their successes suggest how Republicans might make modest progress
with African American voters. Modest progress -- say, 15 percent
rather than 8 percent of the African American vote -- could have
large effects.
Two of the Texans, Wallace Jefferson and Dale Wainwright, were
elected to the state Supreme ...