OPINION:
During the 2012 election cycle, almost all of the really big donors had this in common: They were not African-American or HIspanic, despite the fact that President Obama was on the ballot.
According to a list published by the Huffington Post, actor Morgan Freeman gave $1 million to Priorities USA Action, the super PAC supporting Obama. Real estate developer Wayne Jordan, an African-American, contributed a total of $500,000 to two super PACs, one of them being Priorities USA Action. Investor Miguel “Mike” Fernandez of Miami, who immigrated to America from Cuba as a boy, donated $1 million to Restore Our Future, which supported Mitt Romney in 2012.
The lack of big-time African-American and Hispanic donors is a problem for America because political action follows political donations, and it’s not good when the only real players are old, rich white dudes. But this also may represent an opportunity for Republicans in that wealthy minorities may not yet be committed to the Democrats, which means they might be open to the Republicans’ message.
The Republican party’s troubles with non-white voters are well known. In the 2012 presidential election, Obama defeated one of those rich white dudes precisely with the support of various minorities. According to the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research, Obama won among African-Americans, 93-6; among Hispanics, 71-27; and among Asians, 73-26.
Romney did win easily among white voters, 59-39, but that wasn’t enough for an electorate that becomes less white with every election cycle. According to the Roper Center, President Ronald Reagan won the 1980 election with 56 percent of the white vote, the same percentage as Romney, and won all but seven states.
Republicans aren’t sure what to do about this. Some in the party favor reaching out to minorities, such as by supporting more welcoming immigration policies. Others favor focusing on white voters, which is a bad strategy politically and a worse one morally. The last thing this country needs is a two-party system divided along racial lines.
Even if the party embraces policies – and, more important, rhetoric – that would broaden its appeal, it might take several election cycles to show any results among the general public.
Republican rebranding efforts inevitably run into two big problems: the fact that the first non-white American president is a Democrat, and a number of dumb comments made by Republican candidates. The latest was the charge by Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama that Democrats are engaged in a “war on whites.” Ugh.
Where Republicans can make immediate inroads, however, is among wealthy African-Americans who can appreciate the real war Democrats have waged, and that’s the war on success.
An African-American or a Latino immigrant with a lot of money has the same concerns about confiscatory taxes as a white person with a lot of money does. And given American’s legacy of racism, he or she probably overcame a lot to achieve that wealth. That’s a group of people who may be receptive to the GOP’s message of less taxes and personal responsibility.
Maybe the GOP could start reaching out to people like Donahue Peebles, an African-American real estate developer and a top fundraiser for President Obama. During the 2012 campaign, Peebles said he was offended by the Obama campaign’s attacks on Romney’s wealth. He still supported Obama, and I can’t find any evidence that he has switched his party allegiance. But others might if they are made to feel welcome by the GOP.
The long-term goal is not to raise money. It’s to create a broad-based coalition of Americans of all backgrounds who see the Republican party as the party of success. The quickest way to do that is to focus on those people most likely to be Republicans – the ones paying the highest taxes under Democrats.
Who knows? Now that LeBron James has left a state with no income tax for a state with one, he might decide to become a Republican.
Noelle Nikpour is a Republican political strategist.
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