For a long time I have been interested in building Black support for the Republican Party. While going door to door for President Trump, in all types of neighborhoods, talking to all sorts of people in Blackstone down in Southside Virginia where I live, I have noticed a different response from people I assumed were Democrats. As I stood there in my Trump hat and t-shirt, people weren’t as cool towards me as they may have been during other elections. Only one woman said “No, thank you,” as she closed her door and locked it. Meanwhile, what she didn’t know, was that I had just met a young man down the street who told me he was sick of being used by the Democrat Party and he had been a Trump supporter since 2016.
For the last few years I have seen the tide begin to turn slowly.
Isn’t it interesting that when I decided to write an article on the rise of Black conservatism in Virginia, I had trouble finding interviews? A journalist and a Republican chair told me they didn’t know any minority conservatives. Another former chair told me he knew several in his county, but they were not interested in coming forth because of backlash. The truth is the atmosphere is very different in rural areas when it comes to politics; many people are reluctant to voice their political opinions, put out signs, and wear t-shirts insofar as they don’t want to be scorned by family, church friends, or neighbors. Nonetheless, what I heard repeatedly while talking to people is many blacks tell others they are Democrats, but they actually vote Republican.
I am looking forward to the day when everyone in this country can express their political views without facing some sort of pushback – the way it used to be.
Over the past few weeks I have had robust discussions with members of the Black community. Each person knew their politics and history well – I learned a lot – and each one had been conservative for years.
John Myers, a retired chemist and former chair of the Goochland County Republican Committee, and black, says people “don’t have the guts to speak because they will get chastised by friends” or “they’re afraid it will effect their business financially.” He laughed in recalling that when he told black colleagues decades ago, he was a Republican, they would look at him “like he had horns on his head.”
Myers, who became a Republican in the 1970s because the policies made sense to him, thinks black conservatism is slowly rising, a lot having to do with Trump’s policies and the fact the Democrats are obviously using the black population for their votes. In a phone conversation the other day he told me the Democrat Party cares about one thing: power. Not what they can do for people. And as we all know, the country is in terrible shape: open borders; inflation; rising crime; failing schools; indoctrination; and a corrupt federal government whose politics – and targeting – affect so many of us except for the elite. The middle class in the U.S. is getting pummeled.
Myers believes Black voters should think long and hard about this election. The Democrats are the party of slavery (after all President Lincoln was a Republican), segregation, massive resistance to school desegregation and people need to ask themselves what the Democrats have done for them all these years. He also believes the Democrats are now the party of Identity Politics: race and sexual orientation. Not about the Constitution or fairness to people. “The Democrat Party could not exist without class warfare,” he explained. “Everyone has to have an enemy.”
He also thinks Trump will get a much bigger slice of the Black vote because people are slowly waking up though not nearly fast enough for his taste. “It’s time to expose the black leaders for what they are.”
Reggie Bates, a finisher who lives in Richmond and is an independent who leans Republican, doesn’t think the Back conservative vote is rising. He told me traditionally Blacks have looked at Republicans as the party of race and hate and have always voted Democrat. Nowadays, he explained, the Democrats take the Black vote for granted and the Republicans don’t fight for the votes and “the Blacks lose either way.”
Dale Sturdifen lives in Mecklenburg County and is currently a field director for Cong. Bob Good, mostly helping out with veterans’ cases. He, too, thinks many Blacks are changing their votes. In the conversations I had with him he pointed out that many in the Black community feel the Democrats are taking their votes for granted and “since there are strong faith communities, particularly Baptist, many are offended by social issues such as transgenderism and same sex marriage. They simply don’t accept this on any level.” He believes Blacks are well aware they have become second fiddle to illegal immigrants, and this is cutting resources for those in need.
Sturdifen said the best way to build the movement is for the Republicans to run more Black conservatives for office: something the Democrat Party will try and prevent at all costs if they can because this is such a powerful threat. Republican policies on gun rights, social norms, and religion all help to bring black voters to our side.
God and faith do play a certain role in many voters’ politics, and it doesn’t matter if you are Black or White. Every Sunday I am in church praying for my country. Never in my life have I seen such trouble, and it doesn’t matter where you live. (Local news said yesterday there have been three murders in areas ten to twenty miles from my small town in two different communities.)
When it comes to God and faith, Delores and Mark Robinson are such an example. Years ago they moved from New Jersey to Farmville and are now retired. Both are involved in local Republican politics, especially Delores who plays a major role with the Prince Edward County Republican Party. Mr. Robinson has always been conservative; Delores used to help the Democrats but after moving to Virginia and having a hard look at issues and candidates like Donald Trump, she changed sides. Both the Robinsons see God as playing a major role and Republicans should keep Him in the middle of all of our approaches in order to prevail. “God is going to get us out of trouble,” said Mrs. Robinson. And she sees the community often divided because the Democrats own the Black community and use divide and conquer tactics, keeping certain parameters and poor neighborhoods are still ridden with drugs, robberies, killings, and shootings. It’s generational. “Brainwashing has become institutionalized,” she explained, “and Mark and I decided to open our eyes.”
It is good people like these who are going to help the Republican Party change a lot of votes. These strong outspoken voters – and there are so many like them – can be bridges to the minority community.
I hope the Republican Party of Virginia is planning to strengthen our influence in the Black community. The timing could not be more perfect. Run more black conservatives for office and send more minorities or groups of all races to people’s doors to promote candidates and talk about Republican principles. Maybe some voters would rather hear from a neighbor or a church friend rather than a tired looking, white Republican woman like me in a Trump hat. And ask these voters if they would like to volunteer, come to GOP events and meetings and get involved in some way to help our communities and save our country.
You may be surprised at some of the answers.
