Black people are the base of the Democratic Party in the same way that white men are the base of the GOP. History shows that when Black voters believe the party is working to support them, they turn out in high numbers, and the Democrats win. Democratic victories mean attention paid to issues Republicans do not traditionally prioritize, like the social safety net, consumer protections and climate change. Despite this, the Democratic Party rarely prioritizes policies that openly and directly benefit Black people the way Republicans target policies toward white men. Further, when Democrats do actually prioritize Black people, they rarely broadcast their intentions the way Republicans broadcast their efforts in support of their base.
As Democratic leaders consider the way forward in the wake of this most recent electoral defeat, they might consider centering their efforts on the needs of the party’s most reliable voting bloc — its base: Black voters.
Though reliably robust, Black support for the Democratic Party has been softening in recent decades. Many believe this is because a growing number of African-American voters feel the party no longer cares about their needs — that the party cares more about high earners and the educated elite. If Black voters feel this way, Democratic Party leaders have only themselves to blame. And, some of the blame rests firmly at the feet of two popular Democratic presidents: Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
In many ways, President Clinton was a traditional Democrat. He prioritized the needy, worked to reign in the excesses of the marketplace and used public investment to promote economic growth. He is remembered fondly by Black voters for eliminating the federal deficit and overseeing a vibrant economy, but Clinton is also remembered for policies that hurt the Black community, including welfare reform, which severely weakened the nation’s social safety net, and his 1994 crime bill, which increased incarcerations and encouraged harsher treatment of Black men by the police.
Black trust suffered further under President Obama when he failed to aggressively pursue those responsible for the 2008 financial crisis. When the banks were bailed out (not the homeowners) and when only one low-ranking securities executive went to prison after all of the damage the banking industry had caused, some Black voters came away convinced that the Democratic Party was the party of the rich.
“Democrats expect your vote; they don’t work for it,” was a common, though false, refrain among some disappointed Black voters in 2024. It was a misperception that former President Joe Biden is partially responsible for inspiring. Though he did much to support the Black community while president, he did a poor job of advertising his efforts. Consider the student loan forgiveness program.
Student loan forgiveness benefits all borrowers, but it disproportionately benefits African Americans. Biden pursued loan forgiveness because he understood its significance to the Black community. The problem was, he didn’t do enough to share his motivations with Black voters. Nor did Vice President Harris when she campaigned for the presidency. Had she done so — had she explained how loan forgiveness was intentionally pursued to benefit African Americans, and had she pointed out that the strategy signaled the administration’s support for the concept of reparations — Harris might have encouraged more young Black men to vote for her.
It wasn’t necessary for the Democratic Party to make Black people the center of its 2024 campaign strategy. But the party should have done a better job of addressing Black concerns and vocalizing the many ways it was working to benefit Black voters in particular.
The Republican pushback against diversity, equity and inclusion offers the Democratic Party an opportunity for a course correction.
The GOP has falsely, and deliberately, mischaracterized DEI programs an attempt to address racial grievances by discriminating against whites. Serious people know DEI programs are not designed to favor or punish anyone. They are designed to expand access for the historically disadvantaged.
According to polling, most Americans generally support DEI programs. Despite this, Republicans are working hard to convince us that such programs are outdated and unnecessary. They don’t want American society to be diverse and inclusive, they would rather America be the kind of place where only insiders, the resourced and the connected have access to opportunity. Such attitudes disregard the hard realities of life in the United States for certain Americans.
Some will say that Democrats will lose white voters if they overtly center the concerns of Black voters. But such thinking ignores the fact that Black voters generally care about the same issues that most middle-class and working-class voters care about — issues like fair wages, job security, affordable housing, criminal justice and civil rights.
To prioritize the needs of Black voters prioritizes the needs of all voters, with one important distinction: Democrats traditionally win elections when Black voters turn out in high numbers to support them. So, if white Democrats care about traditional Democratic priorities — priorities that Republicans often ignore — the party needs Black voters to show up for elections. But, for that to happen, the Democrat Party needs to do more to demonstrate its commitment to its most reliable voting bloc.
K. Ward Cummings is an essayist and social critic. He lives in Baltimore.