The Democratic Party owes black female voters a big thank you

The Democratic Party owes black female voters a big ‘thank you’

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Democrat Vi Lyles celebrates her victory in the Charlotte mayoral race with her granddaughters, Hailey Young, left, and Arya Alexander, on Nov. 7, 2017. (Jeff Siner/AP)

There are many reasons Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 presidential election, but a lack of support from black women isn’t one of them. According to exit polls, more than 90 percent of black women voted for Clinton, continuing the trend that few demographic groups are as faithful to the Democratic Party as African American women. But after the 2016 election, the demographic’s confidence in the Democratic National Committee wasn’t as high as the party began focusing their attention on courting white working class voters.

The Washington Post’s Vanessa Williams previously reported:
“Black women have been the most loyal supporters of the Democratic Party, through thick and thin,” Avis Jones-DeWeever, an adviser to the Black Women’s Roundtable, said during September’s Congressional Black Caucus conference. She said the party has focused more on wooing back “white male voters who have not supported the Democratic Party for 50 years” rather than “watering the garden in your own back yard.”

. . . .

But despite these frustrations, there should not have been much doubt about how black women would respond on Election Day — particularly in the age of Trump. Activists and influencers hope Tuesday’s election results will encourage party leaders to support policies that benefit black women — and not ignore them for demographics that have been less faithful to the left. After all, support from black women was key in multiple races, including the much-watched Virginia governor’s race, where Democrat Ralph Northam defeated Republican Ed Gillespie, who ran on Trump-style nationalism.

And no other demographic group supported New Jersey Gov.-elect Phil Murphy at higher percentages than black women, according to exit polls.

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