Opinion

OPINION: Trump Has Inspired A Red Wave — Of Black Candidates and Voters

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Paris Dennard Contributor
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Lost in the narrative about the upcoming midterm election is the fact that the Republican Party of President Trump has attracted a large number of Black Americans running for office seeking to defy history in a few weeks.

While the liberal media elites and Hollywood like to focus most of their attention on extreme liberal candidates like Andrew Gillium and Stacy Abrams, we should spotlight some qualified, enthusiastic and — let’s face it — brave (given the relentless personal and professional attacks free-thinking Black conservatives endure) Americans running on the Republican side who happen to be Black.

There are 17 Black Republicans vying to either serve or return to the U.S. Congress:

  1. Congresswoman Mia Love, (Utah 4)
  2. Congressman Will Hurd, (Texas 23)
  3. Tony Campbell, US Senate (Maryland)
  4. John James, US Senate (Michigan)
  5. Eddie Edwards, US Senate (New Hampshire)
  6. Aja Smith, (California 41)
  7. Casper Stockham, (Colorado 1)
  8. Virginia Fuller, (Florida 5)
  9. Joe Profit, (Georgia 4)
  10. Herman West, (Georgia 2)
  11. Craig Cameron, (Illinois 7)
  12. Jimmy Lee Tillman, (Illinois 1)
  13. Liz Matory, (Maryland 2)
  14. Charlotte Bergmann, (Tennessee 9)
  15. Willie Billups, (Texas 33)
  16. Tim Westly, (Texas 15)
  17. Jeff Dove, (Virginia 11)

On the state level, there are two great candidates running for Attorney General in Illinois and New York:

  1. Erika Harold, Attorney General – Illinois
  2. Keith Wofford, Attorney General – New York

Equally as important, on the local level, the list continues to grow state-by-state. North Carolina has Robert Freeman Sr., Torian Webson, Barry Angelo Burch, Ty Turner, current GOP Co-Chairman Troy Lawson, Emmanuel Wilder, and Bobbie Shields running for the State House. New York has Ashton Theodore Randle.

One standout candidate to keep your eye on is Faith Johnson, who is running for a full term as Dallas County District Attorney. Johnson was just endorsed by the Dallas Morning News and was appointed by Governor Abbott in December 2016 as the first Black woman to serve in that position.

All of these candidates are significant because they run under the continued, false narrative that Trump and the GOP are racist against Black people, despite the facts that show this Republican President is on his way to being one of the greatest presidential champions (based on actual policy) for the Black community in generations.

President Trump’s economic agenda is working, and it is working for Black America. The September unemployment rate for Black Americans was 6.0 percent. That is down from August and close to the historic 5.9 percent low set earlier this year in May.

Additionally, the Department of Labor’s rule change for Associated Health Plans allowing for small business owners to access more affordable health care options by pooling together based on geography or industry and finally obtain health insurance.

Yes, Trump is making health care more affordable for the millions of Blacks who run their own businesses and found Obamacare unaffordable. The Investing in Opportunity Act that created game-changing Opportunity Zones that will allow unprecedented investment in economically distressed areas, many in urban and predominately Black communities, which translates to more jobs, higher wages and upward mobility.

On the education front, Trump has shown significant support and funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The Trump White House has pushed for prison reform measures that would have a positive impact on some in the Black community that need a second chance to be a productive citizen in the hopes of drastically reducing the recidivism rate.

Both Trump and Vice President Pence have campaigned for and endorsed candidates like the veteran businessman John James; the White House and Trump Campaign are aware of the candidates and watching all of these races. In the end, they know how serious President Trump is about actionable engagement with the Black community.

Trump’s winning agenda to Make America Great Again is working for the Black community.

While all of these candidates might not win this election the GOP continues to play the long game, making the foundational investments in programs like Lead Right, and giving the candidates something to run and hopefully win on. We have a winning message and we have qualified candidates that are ready to defy history.

Paris Dennard is a communications strategist and GOP political commentator. In 2017, Paris was appointed by President Trump to the President’s Commission on White House Fellows. Paris also worked in the George W. Bush White House as the White House director of black outreach


The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of The Daily Caller.