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Survey: Black Voters Key to Election, Swing States
Democratic presidential nominee U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) shakes hands with people during a campaign event at Legend's Field Oct. 20, 2008 in Tampa, Florida. Obama continues to campaign as Election Day begins to draw near as he runs against his Republican challenger, U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).
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Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee for president and the first African-American to lead a major party, enjoys historic levels of support in the black community. And, despite assumptions that Bill and Hillary Clinton's campaign tactics would hurt their standing in the black community, they're more popular than ever. These are just some of the findings in the 2008 Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies National Opinion Poll released today.
African-Americans participated in record numbers in the Democratic presidential primaries this year, and there is every indication that black turnout in 2008 will surpass all existing records, both nationally and in individual states.
"Black voters are an important factor in several swing states, including Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, Indiana and Missouri — as well as in several crucial U.S. Senate elections in Georgia, North Carolina, Kentucky and Mississippi," according to the poll.
David Bositis, a senior researcher at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, discusses these and other findings.
The survey of 750 African-American adults was conducted between September 16, and October 6, 2008. The findings have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percent.
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