The Best Democratic Presidential Candidate For African American Voters In South Carolina (2020)
- Jared Blackwell
- Mar 7, 2020
- 5 min read
With the monumental presidential election year that is and will be 2020, the ultimate decision will have to be made by every Democrat in who they shall stand behind to take Donald Trump head-on come November. And in the buildup to that crescendo, South Carolina's Democratic Party primary has taken center stage politically, as its results will grant the state's victor extensive support that will propel the rest of their presidential campaign. With this fact in mind, it is paramount that the African American population, which accounts for a highly influential 26.6% of the state's total electorate (Census Bureau, 2014), to know their importance in this primary that will set the stage for everything else to come. And since the overwhelming majority of African American voters, 78% to be precise (Pew Research Center, 2014), identify with the Democratic Party, it is safe to assume that their presence alone will make or break the campaigns of several, thus far, strong candidates on February 29th. Conclusively, there is no doubt that Black voters are major players in South Carolina, and every candidate that will be on the ballot knows this, so now it is time to decide who best represents African American interests as well as concerns.
Briefly before any present candidates are named, it is crucial to note what is meant by representation in this context because, in all reality, none of these candidates genuinely mirror the life experiences of African Americans in South Carolina. Admittedly, all of the major contenders running in the state's primary are older white men, so obviously their descriptive characteristics do not match up with those of the African Americans, preventing much personal relatability. Furthermore, they cannot relate to any struggle, whether it be geographical, financial, social, political, or any other, that South Carolina's Black constituency has lived around and through. This apparent lack of "descriptive representation" will spiral into a low sense of legitimacy "between legislator and constituent" and decreased "willingness to contact elected [officials]" as "[r]ace [i]s a [b]asis for [p]olitical [t]rust" (Gay, 2002, pp. 718, 726), so the potential for this substantial type of representation is limited. But, unfortunately, since all African American candidates that were running for presidential nomination dropped-out, there is simply no way this traditional criterion can be fulfilled for those in South Carolina.
Despite this relevant caveat in the primary, there is still hope for African Americans' cares to be met via a more party-based type of representation that only one candidate can achieve: Bernie Sanders. The senator from Vermont may not look, speak, or act like those in South Carolina. Yet still, his ability to resonate with the policy beliefs of the Black population unequivocally, undoubtedly makes him the man to serve the interests of African American voters. As political scientist Preuhs (2006) remarked, "liberal...party lawmakers substantively represent minority interests," so "minority policy preferences [will be] advanced [regardless of] descriptive representation" (p. 587) in this case, as long as Sanders seizes a victory in South Carolina. This claim is due to the fact that the "[B]lack policy interests" of "social welfare benefits" (p. 588) are being addressed by Senator Bernie Sanders and have become some of his champion policy positions.
Specifically, his platform has made "[s]upporting HBCUs" (historically black colleges and universities) one of his top priorities, as well as maintaining "[f]ree and [f]air [e]lections," ensuring "[r]acial [j]ustice," and "[l]egalizing [m]arijuna" ("Bernie Sanders on the issues," 2020), to name a few. All of which will prove extremely fruitful and beneficial to the African American population in South Carolina. For Black college students, Bernie Sanders (2020) is not only promising that those going the state's eight HBCUs (or any other university for that matter) will attend tuition-free, but also that their preexisting student loan debt will be totally absolved. As for African Americans that have been affected by partisan, racially driven redistricting and recent voter suppression efforts in South Carolina, the senator will "[a]bolish... voter ID laws," "[e]nd... gerrymandering," as well as "[r]e-enfranchise...the 1 in 13 [Blacks with] felony conviction[s]" ("Bernie Sanders on the issues," 2020). Additionally, the criminalization of marijuana will be terminated effective immediately under Senator Sanders' administration and will have the taxable "revenue from legal marijuana...reinvested in communities hit hardest by the War on Drugs" ("Bernie Sanders on the issues," 2020), which are primarily communities with people of color. After seeing all of these proposals (and more), it is clear that Mr. Sanders' goals are to legitimately empower African Americans in South Carolina politically, financially, and socially.
And these policy positions by Bernie Sanders are not just arbitrarily whipped up in efforts of merely appealing to the African American voter for political power; the man is truly "committed to ending racial disparities" ("Feel The Bern," 2020) in this country. His advocacy for civil rights and equality has existed since the 1960s when he "marched on Washington with Martin Luther King" while being a "student leader of the Congress of Racial Equality," which is an ally organization to the NAACP, and even lead desegregation demonstrations in Chicago despite being arrested ("Feel The Bern," 2020). Moreover, his voting records worth of 30 years of public service is consistent with his views of racial justice and equality. He staunchly "opposed the 1991 crime bill that he believed would disproportionately punish [African Americans]" ("Feel The Bern," 2020) as well as voted in favor of the "Employment Non-Discrimination Act" (2013) and "The Paycheck Fairness Act" (2014), both of which expanded provisions of freedom to LGBTQ+ individuals (ACLU, 2015). And due to these policy positions and many more, the American Civil Liberties Union has even rated him as being 100% aligned with their values (ACLU, 2015). In conclusion, as evidenced by his extensive voting recording and activism, Bernie Sanders has been fighting for the rights of African Americans since the beginning and will continue to do so as president of the United States.
Simply put, Bernie Sanders is the best Democratic candidate for African Americans in South Carolina. His morals are sound, and his integrity is airtight. He hears the demands of those in need and the cries of those that have been oppressed by America's institutionalized racism. And he has a robust platform, with strong voter bases, as well as concise plans that will definitely aid the lives of African Americans. He will get the work done, and the United States will finally "Feel The Bern."
References
United States Census Bureau. (2016). Electorate profile: South Carolina. Retrieved from
Pew Research Center. (2014). Party affiliation among adults in South Carolina by race/ethnicity. Retrieved from https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/compare/party
Gay, C. (2002). Spirals of trust? The effect of descriptive representation on the relationship
between citizens and their government. American Journal of Political Science, 718, 726.
Preuhs, R. R. (2006). The conditional effects of minority descriptive representation: Black
legislators and policy influence in the American states. The Journal of Politics, 587, 588.
Bernie Sanders. (2020). Bernie Sanders on the issues. Retrieved from
Bernie Sanders. (2020). Feel The Burn. Retrieved from https://feelthebern.org/bernie-sanders-on-black-rights/
American Civil Liberties Union. (2015). ACLU. Retrieved from
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