With a couple weeks left before the midterm election, now is the time to assure the massive Black voter turnout that multiple organizations have been working toward and commentators, including the Banner, have been calling for.
If Black voters turn out in the numbers they did to help elect Barack Obama twice, the Nov. 3 election could flip both chambers of Congress to Democratic control and make the cynical midterm redistricting to erase majority-minority House districts in southern and border states backfire in Republicans’ faces.
The high price of gas and groceries along with unpopular war against Iran have Republicans on the ropes. For instance, they have given up hope of holding a Senate seat in North Carolina, where former Democratic governor Roy Cooper has a strong lead in the polls.
Republicans also appear worried about Susan Collins winning reelection in Maine. That became apparent when the Trump administration released home heating assistance to the state early. The early release is an obvious self-serving political ploy.
Now is the time to deliver the final knockout punch to return Congress to Democratic control and stymie President Donald Trump, the soon-to-be lame duck, during the final two years of his destructive second term.
For months, the NAACP, National Urban League, National Action Network and Congressional Black Caucus PAC have been doing the groundwork to boost Black turnout, particularly in the southern states, where about half of Black Americans live. “All roads lead to the South,” has become a slogan for their efforts.
As the Banner has before, we urge Black Americans who live outside the region to donate online to those efforts to ensure goal of a massive turnout is reached.
Political donors like to have a sense of how their contributions can affect their aims in giving money.
The Congressional Black Caucus PAC has provided a breakdown of the impact of a contribution to their get out the vote work, using the example of Texas in a recent fundraising appeal.
“But ground work is NOT cheap, folks: our finance team says it takes $7 to reach, energize and mobilize one Black Texan to vote,” the political action committee states in the appeal.
There are a lot of Black Texans to reach, the fundraising text notes, explaining “Texas has the HIGHEST number of eligible Black voters in the entire country — 2.7 million.”
The Democratic nominee for Senate, James Talarico, has been running neck-and-neck in the polls with Republican Ken Paxton. The state last elected a Democrat to the Senate in 1988, Lloyd Bentsen, who became the running mate of then Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis in his failed campaign for president.
A massive Black turnout in Texas could have positive spillover effects. A Latina Democrat, Gina Hinajosa, is running a competitive race for governor against Republican Greg Abbott, who is seeking a fourth term. The state redrew House districts in a bid to gain five seats, but they might pick up fewer.
Turning Texas purple could make it hard for whoever is the next Republican nominee for president to assemble a majority in the electoral college.
A decade ago, a Democratic activist in Texas asserted the party already had the numbers to win the state but not the voter participation. A massive Black and Latino turnout could make the difference. Latino groups have been working hard in the state and appear to be making headway in mobilizing Latino voters to support Democrats.
Turning back to the impact of donating to the Congressional Black Caucus PAC, $50 would activate seven Black voters, $100, 14 and $1,000, 140. Donations can be made at go-cbcpac.org/l/3vRgan.
The NAACP has planned to spend $20 million to boost Black turnout, more than it has ever budgeted for a midterm election, and has deployed 52,000 volunteers to get the job done. Donate here share.google/dA1s8OHiF-ChzZsUkJ.
The civil rights organization has scheduled “National Black Man Voter Day” on Oct. 24 in partnership with the 100 Black Men of America, National Urban League, Black Men Vote, Woke Vote, and State of the People. The coalition is aiming to mobilize 100,000 Black men ahead of early voting.
The National Urban League has been running its “Reclaim Your Vote” drive since March, partnering with 35 other organizations, including Black fraternities and sororities. First-time voters between 18 and 20 are a specific target because half of them didn’t vote in 2024, when Trump was elected. Donations can be made at reclaimyourvotenow.org/donate.
Al Sharpton’s National Action Network organized a march in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 28 as part of its “Defend the Vote” campaign. Despite its roots in New York City, the organization has more than 30 chapters in southern and border states. Specify Defend the Vote when making a contribution at nationalactionnetwork.net/donate.
The National Action Network and Congressional Black Caucus PAC can urge newly engaged voters to support Democrats, while the NAACP and Urban League cannot because of their tax status.
Wherever Black people live in the country, we are all in this fight together. The Banner urges readers to contribute however much they can to the organization of their choice.
Ronald Mitchell
Editor and Publisher, Bay State Banner
