Democrats’ Reliance on Racial Politics: A Case for Reconsideration
In the aftermath of President Donald Trump’s surprising gains with minority voters in the 2024 presidential election, University of California, Berkeley professor Jerel Ezell has argued that Democrats must reconsider their traditional reliance on racial politics to win elections.
The Erosion of the Multiracial Coalition
Ezell notes that Democrats, despite their continued dependence on Black, Latino, Indigenous, and Asian voters, were caught off guard by Trump’s inroads into these groups. Nonwhite voters "voted in higher percentages for Trump in 2024 than they did in 2020, in some cases by double-digit increases." This result left the Democrats’ multiracial coalition "in tatters," as Ezell puts it.
The Myth of Racial Solidarity
Ezell argues that Democrats’ "people of color" rhetoric overplays the solidarity between different racial groups. He contends that this solidarity reached its peak during the civil rights era but has been on the wane ever since.
According to Ezell, "There is no deep cultural, social, economic, or political linkage between Black, Latino, Indigenous, and Asian Americans — at least not one that can be leveraged by the party for votes."
The Need for a Reckoning
Ezell urges Democrats to engage in a "come-to-Jesus reckoning" over these losses. He believes that the party must recognize that "nonwhite voters are far more culturally alike — and politically aligned — than they actually are or have been in recent memory."
Trump’s Crossover Appeal
Ezell’s analysis aligns with the findings of a Fox News Voter Analysis, which showed that Trump’s crossover appeal to traditional Democratic constituencies, particularly among Hispanic men, Black men, and young voters, was crucial to his victory over Vice President Kamala Harris.
The Way Forward
Ezell does not offer a clear solution to the Democrats’ dilemma. However, his critique suggests that the party may need to re-evaluate its messaging and strategies to better engage with minority voters on their specific concerns, rather than relying on a broad-brush approach that assumes all nonwhite voters share the same political priorities.
