Black Political Zone

Keith Ellison, an African American, was elected to congress on November 7 from the state of Minnesota. Ellison is also the first Muslim to be elected to congress. The Black Commentator discusses Ellison's campaign and prospects. Read more.

Harold Ford Jr. from Tennessee has stated recently that he doesn't believe race was a factor in the race for the U.S. Senate seat in Tennessee. The International Herald Tribune reports:

"I was born how I was and I just ran the best race I could," said Ford, who would have become the South's first black senator in more than a century if he had defeated Republican Bob Corker.

"I have no regrets at all," the Memphis Democrat said on a tour to thank his political supporters. "I am more thankful than anything that so many people across this great state gave me a chance to share my views, and I am even more thankful that they allowed me to listen to them."

Read more.

Unfortunately, Harold Ford, Jr. did not win his bid for the U.S. Senate in Tennessee on Tuesday. You can watch his concession speech above.

As much as the Republicans tried to lure black voters in the 2006 midterm elections, it just didn't happen. Black candidates were run in major races and most of them lost by wide margins. MSNBC reports on the Republican efforts:

Memo to Republican chief Ken Mehlman regarding recruiting black candidates: Try again.

Republicans had hoped to brand 2006 as the year of the black Republican. But with high-profile failures in Maryland’s Senate race and in governor contests in Ohio and Pennsylvania, prospects for GOP gains among black voters turned up short this year and gave scant hope for 2008.

Read more.

Michigan voters passed a ban on affirmative action in yesterday's elections by a significant margin. The Detroit Free Press reports:

Michigan voters sent a clear message about affirmative action programs that offer preferences to women and minorities: It’s time for them to end.

An Election Day poll and hard voter numbers showed the controversial proposal winning by a wide margin.

Read more.

Deval Patrick won the election to become governor of Massachusetts. He beat his challengers by a very wide margin. Bloomberg reports:

Patrick will become only the second black elected governor in U.S. history after Virginia Democrat Doug Wilder, who served from 1990 to 1994. His victory gives Democrats control of all elected branches of the state's government.

Read more.

Black America Web presented an extensive report today on the stakes for African Americans in this election. They write:

Election Day 2006 and black voters could become an integral part of political history.

In what is being described as the most important mid-term elections in decades, Democrats need 15 seats to regain control of the House of Representatives, six seats to retake the Senate, and a number of black candidates are poised to make history in tight races across the nation.

Read more.

While polls early last week began to write off Harold Ford's possibility of winning the election to become a U.S. Senator from Tennessee, the latest polls being released today show that both Ford and Corker are still running neck and neck. Polls show them as being in a statistical tie. The Chattanoogan reports:

“Don’t believe those polls telling you that we don’t have a chance,” Rep. Harold Ford Jr. told the hundreds of clapping, cheering supporters who packed Bessie Smith Hall on Sunday night, during his final round of appearances before Tuesday’s election.

Rep. Ford said the latest polls – due to be released Monday by USA Today and Rasmussen Polls – show that he and former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker, the Republican nominee, are running neck and neck in their race for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.

Read more and watch Ford's recent appearance on Fox News above.

The Baltimore Sun ran an editorial today about the role of black voters in the journey to Novevmber 7 and what black voters can begin doing now to prepare for the next election day. Sherrilyn Ifill, a law professor at the University of Maryland, says:

So, what will Election Day tell us about the state of black political power in Maryland?

Although we tend to focus on Election Day outcomes, political power is developed, nurtured and wielded most effectively in the years between elections. This is when political constituencies have the opportunity to cultivate future candidates, to raise money and, crucially, to develop and agree on a platform of issues and initiatives that reflect the community's interests.

Read more.