With the congressional midterm elections less than nine months away, Republicans are looking to take back control of the House of Representatives. And many black Republican candidates nationwide have thrown their hat into the ring.
Many in the political sphere will find the number of black candidates running as Republicans interesting, given the perception of a lack of racial diversity in the party and the 21st century’s inordinate emphasis on identity politics. But there’s one other particular caveat that will shock the pundits even more: Many of them say former President Donald Trump inspired them to run for office.
Baselessly maligned as a racist by many of his political opponents, both Democrat and Republican, Trump has accomplished what many Republicans before him could not: increase the racial diversity of the party. And regardless of whether these candidates are victorious in November, the fact he was able to advance Republican ideals and inspire black candidates to run will remain part of his legacy, whether people want to admit it or not.
Kimberly Klacik ran for Congress in Maryland’s 7th Congressional District in 2020. It was her first time running for office, and she was endorsed by Trump. She lost, but she vastly improved the Republican performance in this urban Baltimore district when she got 28% of the vote — up from 20% in 2018. She also advanced Republican values by running a real campaign and speaking to the district’s predominantly black communities, something many Republicans have failed to do over the years. She has subsequently started a PAC called Red Renaissance that aims to help the “next generation of conservatives.”
“When President Trump directly asked the black community, ‘What do you have to lose?’ that spoke to many of us,” she told me. “It was true, we had nothing to lose voting differently. Our cities are plagued with high crime, low-performing schools, and embarrassing economies. I ran for office asking Baltimoreans the same question. At the time of my run I assumed things couldn’t get much worse. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Teenagers are being murdered in record numbers.”
“There is no doubt that President Trump helped to expand our party and we are more diverse and inclusive because of his leadership and that is a good thing,” RNC National Spokesperson Paris Dennard told me. “President Trump had an inclusive economy that worked, and his policies benefited everyone, especially black Americans. The media worked overtime to try to besmirch President Trump’s character by falsely labeling him racist for years because they knew he was connecting with the black community, and that was a threat to the future of the Democrat Party.”
This racial evolution in the Republican Party, inspired by Trump, started to bear fruit only a few months after he left office. Longtime political commentator Larry Elder ran for governor of California in the state’s recall election of Gov. Gavin Newsom. He agreed with the notion of Trump inspiring black Republicans in a way other Republican politicians had been unable to do.
“Under Trump, blacks experienced their best economy ever, with the lowest black unemployment in history,” Elder told me. “Trump pardoned Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight champion, something that neither Barack Obama nor George W. Bush did despite requests by documentarian Ken Burns and actor Sylvester Stallone. Trump secured the borders. Those most hurt by unskilled illegal alien labor are blacks and browns living in the city with high school or less. Illegal labor also puts downward pressure on the wages of unskilled black and brown workers.”
Carla Spalding is a Navy veteran and a registered nurse. In 2020, she ran for Congress in Florida’s 23rd Congressional District against incumbent Democrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz. She lost, but in 2022, she is running again. According to the Floridian, Spalding has outraised her opponent. Hoping to pull off the upset against the longtime Democratic incumbent, Spalding also noted how Trump had inspired her political candidacy.
“For the first time, I became interested in politics,” Spalding said. “He exposed issues our country was facing. He had the answers, he just needed help from Congress and the Senate. As a Navy veteran, I wanted to help him change the direction of our country. Unfortunately, he had to stand up to the Democrat and Republican Party.”
Another black Republican running a congressional campaign in Florida is Dr. Willie Montague. He is running in Florida’s 10th Congressional District.
“During the Trump presidency, we saw a rise in young blacks turning to the Republican Party,” he said. “It became obvious to many black voters that when Trump speaks, he says what he means. This appeals to the black community, who have become tired of the promises and carrot waving of the Democrat Party – the party that tells blacks they need them. We are tired of people treating us like victims.”
Darius Mayfield, a congressional candidate looking to win New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District, was also moved by Trump’s presidency to run for office himself.
“The neo-conservative candidates or presidents of old are not my cup of tea,” Mayfield told me. “The average American wants a leader unafraid to speak their mind and unwilling to not speak truth. Career politicians eventually, end up drowning the hopes and dreams of ordinary Americans through their indifference and almost programmed sense of entitlement – which never truly existed because the people ultimately hold all the power.”
“I felt very comfortable running for office in 2020 under a commander in chief like Trump because I saw how much he did care for the black community,” said Jarome Bell, a 17-year Navy veteran running for Congress in Virginia. “His policies were geared towards making my community better so I wanted to join him in making American great again.”
“Having President Trump win as commander in chief in 2016 was definitely inspiring to know that he had the military’s back where I have served honorably for nearly three decades,” Bell said. “I am an ‘America First’ candidate, and I was one of the only candidates to run on that platform with President Trump long before it was fashionable. I used to listen to rap songs that used to say ‘I want to be like Trump.’ In 2020, I had that opportunity and in 2022 I have it again.”
“Looking back, I would say Trump was the person that was bold enough to not only point out the flaws in American society but brave enough to speak out loud about it,” said Joe Collins, a black Republican congressional candidate in Maxine Waters’s California district. “People have known for years that the Republican Party is a better match for black people, but the Republican Party fails to come to our communities and engage with us. Trump appealed to African Americans because he understood that wealth building was the key to removing oppression in black communities. Democrats have long failed us.”
Klacik echoed these sentiments.
“Perhaps I am too young, but I don’t recall any other GOP presidential candidate vocalizing how Democratic leaders have basically ruined urban areas once on the top of every list for tourism,” Klacik said. “What many don’t understand, black people have always had a hard time trusting government. We have known for a while now there is an establishment on both sides of the aisle putting money first, rather than ‘We the people.’ It was nice to hear a president admit it.”
The idea of “government for the people, by the people” is a popular one in American lore. The concept has lost its way in recent years, but many black Republicans cherish this Lincolnian ideal and want to continue working to make sure it is mainstream again. Klacik said it above. Mayfield shared Klacik’s aspiration.
“Career politicians eventually end up drowning the hopes and dreams of ordinary Americans through their indifference and almost programmed sense of entitlement — which never truly existed because the people ultimately hold all the power,” Mayfield said.
Another important facet of Trump was his economic policies. Many of the candidates cited Trump’s economic acumen as part of his appeal. It also is at the foundation in which many hope to use to bolster support for Republicans among black voters.
“Even Obama, who was fancied the ‘Black Messiah,’ failed to push policies that would increase the quality of life in black communities,” Collins said.
“In 2015, median income for blacks was recorded at $40,314. By 2019, it rose to $46,005,” Montague said. “Under the Trump administration prior to COVID shutdowns, the median income of black households grew higher than any other point in history.”
“Trump expanded urban opportunity zones, lowering taxes and regulations in ‘underserved’ areas to spur economic activity,” Elder said. “Trump supported school choice for K-12, something that black and brown urban parents want but Democrats, beholden to the teachers unions, refuse.”
Of course, as many have said this about Trump regardless of skin color, many appreciated and were inspired by his bluntness. His lack of filter when talking made many people mad. His opponents weaponized these against Trump. However, it also brought him admirers — black and white.
“The historic number of black Republicans running both for Congress and other down-ballot offices is no doubt connected to the way President Trump worked with the RNC to make black engagement a priority coupled with conservative policies that empower and uplift Americans,” Dennard told me. “It is also worth noting that Sen. Tim Scott, Congressmen Burgess Owens, and Byron Donalds all embraced President Trump’s America First agenda, which I am sure helped to inspire others to want to run and make a difference, especially after seeing the excellent working relationship President Trump had with Sen. Tim Scott on major policy issues.”
“The choice has become clear,” Montague said. “A president who empowers people, or a president like racist Joe Biden who tells you ‘you ain’t black’ if you don’t vote Democrat.”
