A recent report by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies finds that the African American vote will be the most important voting bloc to have a major impact on the general elections on November 2. This is because (1) there are “a significant number of black voters in the states and districts where many of the most competitive elections will be held and (2) “there is a president who is very popular with African-Americans and who is under attack from congressional Republicans”.
The study points out that there are:
- 20 competitive U.S. House elections where black voters could potentially decide the outcome
- 14 competitive U.S. Senate races in 2010 where the black vote could have a major impact
- 14 competitive elections for governor in 2010 where black votes can have a significant impact on the outcome.
In each case–House, Senate and governor’s race– Florida is among the states where black turnout could determine the winner of the race. Other states include, Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Maryland and Virginia.
Last week too, a major survey undertaken by The Washington Post, Harvard University and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation found a high level of interest among black Democrats to go to the poll in this mid-term 2010 elections. Specifically, the survey found that 80 percent are interested or more interested to head to the polls next month, than they were in 2008 when Barack Obama was elected to office.
