Republicans step up outreach efforts to turn Black Americans away from Democrats

Republicans are looking to attract more Black voters with a message that the Democratic Party has made little progress for people of color.

The Republican National Committee stepped up its efforts this month, which marks Black History Month, to zero in on the message to move Black voters away from the Democratic Party while also promoting GOP values.

“The main message is that the Democrat Party has taken your vote for granted for decades, and you got nothing in return,” said Paris Dennard, an RNC spokesperson.

The GOP is attacking Democrats on pandemic mandates, rising crime and opposition to school choice, among several issues that have impacted Black communities.

Mr. Dennard said those issues bolster the party’s message that “there is a different way, and the different way has to be looking at Republicans.”

Republicans have long struggled to make inroads with Black voters, who have largely cast their ballots in favor of Democrats in the modern era.

However, in recent election cycles, the GOP has made small gains with Black voters, though overall support is still low.

In 2020, former President Donald Trump won about 8% of the Black vote, a gain of roughly 2 percentage points from his support in 2016, according to AP VoteCast. He campaigned in 2016 on a theme of bringing more Black voters into the party.

Despite slow progress, GOP Strategist Doug Heye said Republicans have momentum among Black voters this year with the ability to zero in on the issues of crime and inflation.

Mr. Heye said increased representation for Black Republicans running for office may also give the party heightened credit.

There are about 40 Black Republicans running for local and federal office across the country in 2022, according to the RNC.

Though Democrats belittle the number, the Republican Party says it represents a record level of Black candidates joining its ranks.

“Republicans are potentially in a much better position, given everything that’s going on in this election cycle than they were two years ago, four years ago, even 10 years ago,” Mr. Heye said. “If they campaign the right way and talk about these issues and how they affect voters, certainly African American voters, they may be in a good position to gain more of that vote.”

The RNC has stepped up its messaging campaign for Black voters partly through a $2 million initiative to establish community centers in cities across the country.

The centers, which are hosting breakfasts and other events this month, are in Cleveland; Milwaukee; Philadelphia; Jacksonville, Florida; and College Park, Georgia.

Two more centers are expected to open in Greensboro and Elizabeth City, North Carolina, as well as others in cities not yet determined.

The RNC is also expanding its presence in Black media outlets by advertising the GOP in Black newspapers and TV news channels.

RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel has also featured several Black members of Congress on her “Real America” podcast to discuss the values of the Republican Party. Her guests have included Reps. Burgess Owens of Utah and Byron Donald of Florida, and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina.

Democrats, however, remain skeptical of such efforts by the party.

New Jersey Sen. Cory A. Booker said he wasn’t familiar with the specific outreach efforts by the RNC, but said Democrats offer better policy solutions for voters of all races.

“I think Democrats should compete for every voter and not take anything for granted. I believe we have the best message for America,” Mr. Booker told The Washington Times.

The Democratic National Committee is also planning to spend $20 million to increase support among Black and Hispanic voters this year.

Democrats are focusing their message on voting rights, tying the GOP to voter suppression amid a push by several Republican state legislatures to tighten voting measures. But Democrats also are concerned about how the failure of voting-rights legislation in the Senate could disappoint their base this year.  

Mr. Dennard emphasized that the engagement efforts by the RNC have been going on for years, even if they’re just now being noticed on a larger scale.

“On the Democrat side, they show up three months before the election or a couple days before,” Mr. Dennard said. “What we’ve done at the RNC is really [looking at] a strategic long-term vision of minority engagement.”