In what the Washington Post calls 'The Year of the Black Republican', they minimally capture the story by limiting it to this year. Not taking anything away from the three Black men in the story who are on statewide ballots and, all great candidates, but Blacks in the Republican party are not as much an anomaly as they would like to portray, especially in leadership positions .
- J. Kenneth Blackwell,
 Ohio's secretary of state, won the nomination challenge Democrat Rep. Ted Strickland in November for Governor of Ohio.
- In Maryland, Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele
 is the party's nominee to fill the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes.
- In Pennsylvania, Lynn Swann,
 of Pittsburgh Steelers fame, is challenging Democratic Gov. Edward G. Rendell for that state's top spot.
Without even looking as far as the current Republican administration, it should be obvious that Republicans focus more on the content of the character than skin color. Instead, Democrats focus on color as political capital, something to both pander and exploit. What is puzzling to me is why they haven't noticed a 'paucity of blacks', to borrow a phrase, in leadership positions in their own party?
The Year of the Black Republican? . COLUMBUS, Ohio -- When J. Kenneth Blackwell took the stage here on May 2 to claim the Republican nomination for governor, he became something more than his party's standard-bearer in a bellwether state.
By Dan Balz and Matthew Mosk. [washingtonpost.com - washingtonpost.com - elections, campaigns, government and politics news and headlines.]
12:26:30 AM 
|
|
