Why Aren't More African-Americans Republicans?

Abstract

This research tests several hypotheses regarding the political party identification of Africa-Americans as Republican. I propose that the choice to identify as Republican is the result of not only demographics but social factors and the resulting cross pressures. Using historical and anecdotal data, trends indicate cross pressures from unexpected sources, political activism, and a deep sense of racial pride among blacks who do identify as Republicans, although the opposite is often assumed to be the case. The evidence also shows the need for further research on the influence of family, gender and immigrant status on black party identification.

Keywords: African-Americans, Republicans, Party Identification