Joint Center's David Bositis Available to Comment on 'Super Tuesday' African-American Vote; Black Vote Potential Deal-breaker for Edwards 2/27/2004
From: Liselle Yorke of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, 202-789-6366 or lyorke@jointcenter.org WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- The black vote can make or break Senator John Edwards' campaign in next week's "Super Tuesday" primaries according to David Bositis, a senior research associate at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. Having won only one primary and with little cash to spread around, Edwards is relying on targeted campaigns in Georgia, Ohio, and New York -- all states with sizeable black voting blocs. "While John Kerry has done very well with the black vote so far, no candidate can reliably claim it," said Dr. Bositis. "But, Senator Edwards needs those votes more than Kerry does to survive past March 3." Since the majority of whites are Republicans and over 90 percent of African Americans are Democrats, the number of black voters in Democratic primaries is frequently double their state voting age populations. African Americans account for more than 10 percent of the eligible voters in New York and Ohio and almost 30 percent in Georgia and Maryland. A veteran political watcher and pollster, Bositis conducts the Joint Center's National Opinion Poll, the only national survey that routinely polls equal numbers of African Americans and the general population. He has also conducted specialized national surveys of black elected officials, young adults, black churches, minority-owned businesses, and black professionals. Since 1992, he has also authored the Joint Center's election analyses. ------ The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, conducts research and analyses on public policy issues of concern to African Americans and other minorities, promotes their involvement in the governance process, and operates programs that create coalitions within the minority, business, and other diverse communities. For information, please visit http://www.jointcenter.org. | |