Black Republicans, Donald Trump, and America's "George Floyd moment"

Sep 7, 2020

Leah Wright Rigueur, a Harvard public policy scholar and author of "The Loneliness of the Black Republican," delves into Black Republican identity and the GOP's historical challenge to reconnect with Black voters. She discusses the impact of systemic racism and disillusionment stemming from recent elections, particularly under Trump. Rigueur explores the ramifications of George Floyd's death on today's racial protests and the complex dynamics between protest movements and electoral politics, highlighting both progress and backlash.

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ANECDOTE

Ralph Bunche's Republican Report

In the 1940s, Ralph Bunche, a Black political scientist, consulted for the Republican Party.
He recommended policy changes to attract Black voters but the party rejected his full report.

INSIGHT

Republican Outreach Strategy

The Republican Party has historically sought to win Black voters without changing core policies.
They prioritize messaging over addressing economic and social needs.

INSIGHT

The Republican Dilemma

The Republican Party faces a tension between appealing to racially resentful whites and attracting Black voters.
This tension has significantly shaped party coalitions.

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The Republican Party began losing the Black vote around 1936. Since then, Republicans have commissioned reports, hired consultants, and spent huge sums of campaign dollars trying to win back Black voters. The project continues today: This year’s Republican National Convention presented a lineup of speakers far more diverse than the Republican Party itself, making the case for the “Party of Lincoln.” A third of African Americans, after all, self-identify as “conservative.” And yet, no Republican presidential candidate has won more than 15 percent of the Black vote since 1964 (many have received well under 10).

Leah Wright Rigueur is a historian and public policy scholar at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and the author of The Loneliness of the Black Republican, a remarkable study of the distinct ideologies woven through the Black conservative and Black Republican traditions. The book traces the history of why Black voters left the GOP and what the Republican Party has tried to do — and what it has refused to do — to win them back.

Rigueur has also spent the past decade teaching classes on racial protests, riots, and how they shaped American politics in the 20th century. We discuss the historical analogues for today’s protest movement, what’s different now than in 1968, the complex relationship between protesters and electoral politics, how these movements can lead to both lasting change and white backlash, and more.

Book recommendations:

Civil Rights and the Making of the Modern American State by Megan Ming Francis

Don't Blame Us by Lily Geismer

One Person, No Vote by Carol Anderson

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