Why Obama Shouldn’t Be Taking the Black Vote for Granted

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There’s no question that Hispanics are among the most coveted voting
blocs for November’s election. Numerically, they’re the fastest growing
minority group in the U.S. population. Major media regularly monitor
their presidential preferences. And both campaigns have already made
loud overtures to them—including the Obama administration’s directive
not to deport undocumented immigrant children, and Mitt Romney’s hints
that Hispanic senator Marco Rubio might be his vice presidential
nominee.

But while surely an important constituency, Hispanics are not the
only crucial minority bloc needed for Obama to win in November. In fact,
Black voters will likely be just as, if not more, essential to a
Democratic victory—especially if we look beyond growth in the minority vote, where Hispanics are key, to the composition
of the minority vote. This is not just because black support nationally
for the reelection of the first African American president will likely
be sky high, but also because of the relative demographic weight of
blacks in the projected 2012 minority electorate.

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