Conservative Candidate Provides Template for Winning Black Votes

From Jeff Charles on Red State.com (Dec. 7, 2021):

Last month’s gubernatorial election in Virginia was seen as a preview of how the 2022 midterm elections will pan out. It demonstrated that Republicans are in a positive position to retake the House and possibly even the Senate. Indeed, a recent report indicated the GOP might be set to win key governorships in other states, as well.

But there was another election that could be instructive for the GOP if the party takes notice. Jalen Johnson won his race to become City Commissioner for Ward Two in Albany, Georgia.

So why is this local race significant? Because Johnson ran as a conservative candidate in an area that is 70% black. His campaign and eventual victory could provide a viable template for other conservative candidates seeking to win elections in areas with high black and brown populations. I spoke with Johnson about his campaign and he explained how he managed to earn this decisive win.

Johnson is a 22-year-old black man who has been involved in politics for a significant amount of time. In his new role, he will have tremendous responsibilities. He explained that the city commissioner “oversees all the government operations” and will “have one vote out of seven to be able to authorize different things in the budget for the entire city.”

……….

I asked him how he was able to effectively sell his conservative message to a population that is typically leery of Republicans. He stated that he emphasized areas in which he knew black Americans would differ from the Democrats’ message. He pointed out the “reason Virginia turned red was that Terry McCauliffe said that parents should not have a say so in their kids’ education.”

He continued:

“That is a huge no-no. Black voters do not like that, either. And that was a message I brought my constituents as well that I’m the freedom candidate, I’m the pro safety candidate, and I’m the pro-choice in education. And people like that, it resonated with them.”

……………..

Despite being a clearly conservative candidate, Johnson knew how to present his message to voters. He said:

I told them that I stood for freedom. I believe that we needed an increased presence of law enforcement in our community, not less. I believe in limited government, not more. I told them that I believe in the dignity of hard work and restoring the honor and integrity and work and not government handouts. And believe it or not, dozens and dozens on in amounts of black people I would talk to, especially older black men, it resonated with them.

Johnson acknowledged that “If they would have known that I was a Republican on paper…maybe that conversation would have went a little bit different,” but also noted that “These people agreed with me based on the ideals and the principles that I was discussing without the [Republican] label.”

He added: “So they agree with limited government. They agree with the dignity and the honor of hard work. They agree with strong public safety and protecting our youth. But they just don’t like when you put an “R” in front of it.”

I asked what advice Johnson would give to other conservative candidates like himself who wish to win over black voters. He said:

What I will say is just show up. Outwork your opponents day in and day out because I think the big thing I found as well what people love and what people appreciate is being heard and you taking your time.

He explained that when “you show up to their door and you actually talk to them and hear them out, those people will go to the ballot and be a solid majority voter for you.” [read more]

Good advice for any conservative running for office.