Campaigning While Black: Black Candidates, White Majorities, and the Quest for Political Office

Order from Columbia University Press here

Barack Obama’s election as the first Black president led to speculation among pundits, scholars, and citizens that racism was no longer a significant barrier for Black candidates. A wider look, however, at the highest rungs of power in American politics reveals that Black Americans are rarely found in the most powerful elected offices one step below the presidency: the high-level statewide offices of governor and U.S. senator. If the number of Black Americans in those offices was proportional to the Black share of the 2020 presidential electorate – about 11 percent – there would be about 11 Black U.S. senators and five or six governors. The actual numbers fall well short of those benchmarks. Following the 2022 elections, only three out of 100 U.S. senators and one out of fifty governors were Black. Forty-two out of the fifty states have never elected an African American governor or U.S. senator.

Why are Black governors and U.S. senators so rare? Campaigning While Black examines the campaigns of every Black challenger for those offices from 2000-2020 and points to the continuing relevance of racial appeals in campaigns and the formidable hurdle posed by white voters in statewide electorates. I show that Black candidates face more attacks on stereotypically anti-Black themes such as crime, sexual misbehavior, and economic redistribution than comparable white candidates. In fact, every viable Black challenger examined faced an unusually high number of attacks on at least one of these themes. I also show that attacks on these themes diminish their support among white voters with ambivalent or negative attitudes toward Blacks – a wide swath of voters in statewide elections. However, this does not necessarily spell doom for Black candidates. I show that attacked candidates respond to negative racial messages, and in some circumstances, can neutralize their damaging effects. Thus, while Black candidates face unique obstacles, they can nonetheless find ways to respond to attacks they are likely to encounter when attempting to reach the highest offices in the United States.

“In this ambitious book, Tokeshi masterfully and systematically demonstrates what we intuitively know—Black candidates for statewide office experience a different and more negative campaign environment than their white counterparts. He also offers vital insights on the campaign strategies Black candidates can use to mitigate the effects of negative racial attacks. Campaigning While Black is a must-read for scholars and students of race and ethnic politics.” —LaFleur Stephens-Dougan, author of Race to the Bottom: How Racial Appeals Work in American Politics

“Tokeshi provides a major contribution to our understanding of when and how racial attacks are effective and what candidates can do about them. The focus on African American women at the state level is new and important to our understanding of the link between race, gender, and state politics.” —Christopher Stout, author of Bringing Race Back In: Black Politicians, Deracialization, and Voting Behavior in the Age of Obama

“Tokeshi’s book is timely as we think about the future of descriptive representation in the United States. Asking if race is still a hurdle today for Black candidates, Tokeshi finds that Black candidates do not need to remain silent when attacked. This book is a must read for those interested in race and politics, campaigns, and racial attitudes.” —Andrea Benjamin, author of Racial Coalition Building in Local Elections: Elite Cues and Cross-Ethnic Voting

Online Appendix for Campaigning While Black here