Release date: July 15, 2004
Contact: Beverly Cox Clark, Assistant Director, University Media Relations,
at 404-712-8780 or bclark2@emory.edu

Minority Votes Vital for Kerry

Whether or not John Kerry can win the presidency will heavily depend on how much he can mobilize minority voters to go to the polls, says Emory University political scientist Robert Brown.

"Kerry's new $2 million ad campaign targeting African American and Latino voters is a vital move for the Democratic Party," Brown says. "Such outreach efforts help tap into the widespread dissatisfaction with the Bush administration among blacks and other minorities." Picking Illinois Senate candidate Barack Obama as the Democratic National Convention keynote speaker also gives the party an opportunity to reach out especially to black voters and highlight a rising star, he adds.

"In 2000, nine out of 10 black voters -- 10 percent of the overall electorate -- went for Gore in a near total rejection of Bush, and two-thirds of Latinos voted Democratic as well. If population trends hold, minorities could have a major influence on the outcome of the popular vote. The catch is voter turnout and maintaining the loyalty of a stalwart base," Brown says.

Polls since 2000 have shown that a majority of African Americans are dissatisfied with Bush's handling of the economy and the Iraq war, and anger over the debacle in Florida still lingers, Brown says. While Latinos identify primarily as Democrats, many have positive feelings for Bush, which makes this growing population up for grabs for either party in the future, he says.

"In recent years, the Republican Party has attempted to expand its appeal to blacks, and especially Latinos. Bush and his advisors have tried to change and update the image of the Republican Party from the old one often perceived as racially bigoted to a new one of multicultural tolerance," Brown says. "The Republican also have to work to allay the concerns of moderates, who are less likely to vote Republican when the party is in 'Pat Buchanan' mode."

Brown is the author of a chapter on minority politics in the recently published "Get in the Booth! A Citizen's Guide to the 2004 Election." He is assistant dean for Emory College and a political scientist specializing in African-American and urban politics, racial attitudes, race and American social policy, and urban poverty. Brown is available to talk about African-American voter behavior. Reach Brown at 404-727-6563 (w), 404-286-8943 (h) or rabrown@emory.edu.

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