Black candidates and political groups see a surge of support amid US protests

Daniel Strauss The Guardian 13 June 2020

Photograph: Bruce Schreiner/AP
African American candidates and political groups focused on racial justice have experienced a surge of donations and support amid ongoing national protests about police reform and anti-racism.

The country has been wracked by protests since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Floyd’s death has also triggered an intense introspection on race relations and police brutality, especially against African Americans, and it seems black political candidates are getting more attention as a result.

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In Kentucky, state representative Charles Booker, said he’s raised $1m over the past month. Roughly over that same period he’s also been endorsed by top progressive Democrats: Vermont senator Bernie Sanders and New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

In New York, Democrat Jamaal Bowman, who is challenging New York congressman Eliot Engel in a tough primary, has surpassed fundraising benchmarks since the beginning of June, as he’s tried to capitalize on missteps by the incumbent congressman – including a hot mic incident at a Black Lives Matter event. Sanders has endorsed Bowman as well.

The Real Justice Pac, a group that works to boost progressive “reform-minded prosecutors”, said it had seen an influx of support amid the ongoing national discussion of reforming the police.

“Real Justice Pac is seeing a significant increase in the frequency and amount of donations – large and small,” said Chris Lazare, the group’s organizing director, in a statement. “We think people across the country are realizing that electing reform minded prosecutors is an integral part of achieving the change we want and holding police accountable.”

Real Justice Pac officials declined to give exact figures on their fundraising numbers.

Multiple factors are at play in each individual race and strategists are hesitant to attribute money flows to one single subject or force but the timing suggests that the general unrest throughout the country is an active factor.

“We know anecdotally that people across the country and in the district are moved by how Jamal has talked about this moment,” explained a Democratic operative involved in Bowman’s campaign. The operative added: “This period coincides with all of these other activities.”

A renewed and intense focus on race relations stretches all the way up to the presidential level where both Donald Trump’s reelection campaign and Joe Biden’s presidential campaign have attacked each other on their positions on policing and racial justice.

Biden also continues to face strong pressure to pick an African American woman as his running mate and vice presidential nominee.

Kentucky’s Booker, the underdog Senate candidate competing with Amy McGrath for the Democratic nomination to face Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, said in an interview on Friday his campaign raised $1m in the first week of June.

“With all the racial tension that has been growing in [not only] my state but across the country I think what you’re seeing is people are looking to ‘who’s going to lead in this moment,” Booker said.“We have seen a big surge in our fundraising. We’ve seen an outpouring of support from across Kentucky and across the country. And we have a very real shot to win this race.”

Booker added: “It’s come from this energy, this sense of resolve, this fire, this aggressive urge and plea from regular folks to [say] we gotta do things different and make sure that we don’t keep playing the status quo.”