While
the 2014 elections showed Democrats their difficulties in defeating Republicans,
the elections also revealed the problem the Democratic Party has in appealing
to their white constituents. The Democrats now find themselves in a very precarious
position as they find a way to put together a message that resonates with the
white as well as the black voter. Let’s consider for a moment the 2014 exit poll, particularly the questions about race relations. For example, 40% said race relations in the country had stayed about the same in the
last few years. 38% said they had gotten worse while 20% said they’ve gotten
better. Certainly no surprise here but let’s consider remarks made by the Congressional
Black Caucus Chairperson, Marcia Fudge
(D-OH) when she stated that Democrats lost the white Southerners due in part to racism. “Democrats
lost Senate control because we failed to mobilize young voters across racial
and regional spectrums. We failed to persuade Southern voters to hold true to
core Democratic values. We lost because the Hispanic community was
insufficiently motivated. We lost because of ideological differences within the
Democratic Party and with our Administration. We lost because our party has, to
some extent, lost white Southerners due in part to the race of our President.
We lost because the Supreme Court decisions in Citizens United and McCutcheon allowed a select few to subvert
the political process with secret, unlimited money. We lost because of
gerrymandering in our state redistricting processes. We lost because of our
continuing problem with a clear and compelling message that would encourage
voters to stay with us. Let the talking
heads do what they do best: talk. But let’s be very clear in our analyses of
the 2014 midterm elections. African Americans showed up. So don’t blame us! A review of the
2014 exit poll data verifies Rep. Fudge’s statement as the data indicates that
while voter turnout for Hispanics and Blacks increased, the voter turnout for
Whites went down, and overall turnout was quite low.
