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How Hillary Missed the Boat on Black Votes

Posted May 5, 08 3:46 PM CDT in Politics    Editor's Choice

(Newser) – Barack Obama's lead over Hillary Clinton among black voters is perhaps not surprising, but Clinton could have avoided such devastating losses in the demographic, Thomas Schaller writes in Salon. "One would expect Obama to win these voters, but 90-10 is a total collapse that Obama is not experiencing among any constituency. Simply put, Hillary Clinton has a black problem," says one analyst.

The wife of America's so-called first black president might have managed to lose by 4-1 or even 3-1 margins in the African-American community, which would have garnered more precious delegates and perhaps put her ahead in the popular vote. But after Obama's Iowa victory (and Oprah endorsement) it was much too late to start the battle for black votes.

Source Salon

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Hillary Clinton and Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., meet during a campaign stop Friday, Oct. 12, 2007, in Atlanta where Lewis officially endorsed Clinton's candidacy for president.   (AP Photo)
Richmond Trusdale, a minister and a truck driver, holds up a sign in support of Presidential hopeful Barack Obama during the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary.   (AP Photo/Alice Keeney)
With more focus on the black vote, Hillary could have pulled off a 4-1 loss to Barack Obama among African Americans, rather than the 9-1 rout she experienced.   (AP Photo/Alice Keeney)
Old friends Barack Obama and Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick, the new face of black political leadership, appeal to large swathes of white voters.   (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
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Barack Obama  • Hillary Clinton  • Bill Clinton  • African-American voters  • demographics


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