Press Releases

This week, during their biennial retreat, the Congressional Black Caucus, led by Chairman Cedric Richmond (D-La.-02), dissected and discussed survey results of African-American voters that will help guide them for the 115th Congress. The results showed that African-Americans feel taken for granted by the Democratic Party, are dissatisfied with President Trump and the direction of the country, and want more drastic tactics used to fight programs and policies that negatively impact their communities. The results also showed that protecting social security, reforming the criminal justice system, keeping the country safe from terrorists and other issues are priorities for African Americans. 

“African Americans are the Democratic Party’s most loyal voters and they should be treated as such. The results of this survey are clear marching orders for the Congressional Black Caucus – African Americans want Democrats to stop using the same old playbook and to make substantive progress on the issues that affect their communities. The Congressional Black Caucus stands united and ready to oppose policies that will take the country backwards and undermine the opportunity, progress and safety of the constituents we represent across this great nation. This Congress, we will give new meaning to our role as the Conscience of the Congress.” 
 
“It is no surprise that African-American voters have presented a very clear mandate to the Congressional Black Caucus to oppose the Trump administration since 92 percent of African Americans voted against President Trump,” said Cornell Belcher, CEO of Brilliant Corners Research & Strategies, the organization that conducted the survey. “However, to maintain this broad level of support among African American voters, Democrats more broadly will have to reevaluate the way they are engaging this critical section of its base.” 
 
A summary of key findings from the survey are below: 

• A large majority of African American voters (63 percent) feel taken for granted by the Democratic Party. This startling majority represents a growing problem among one of the most critical components of Democrats winning coalition. The outcome of the 2016 election was widely the result of this coalition splintering away from the top of the ticket along the margins with younger and browner voters. African American voters’ perception that Democrats are not making an effort to secure their support could be very problematic for a Party trying to regroup after 2016 loses.  
• The majority of African American voters (53 percent) want the Congressional Black Caucus to oppose President Trump. While 53 percent is not an overwhelming majority, it does represent an unusual decision for voters that normally prefer cooperation rather than obstruction from elected officials in Washington. Further, African-American voters broadly support more drastic tactics to obstruct the Trump administration, including not confirming President Trump’s appointees (53%), sit-ins and other acts of disobedience, and most enthusiastically, calling for President Trump’s impeachment (62 percent important, 57 percent very important).
• African-American voters are overwhelmingly dissatisfied (69 percent) with the direction of the country now, a drastic departure from the satisfaction they experienced during the Obama administration. Only 22 percent of African Americans are satisfied with direction of the country now while 69 percent are dissatisfied. By contrast, just 10 months ago in March 2016, 68 percent of African Americans were satisfied with the direction of the country and only 29 percent were dissatisfied. 
  • The reason for the drastic shift in African Americans’ satisfaction is directly associated with the election of President Trump. When asked, open-ended, what was the reason for their dissatisfaction, 42 percent of respondents cited President Trump. Anxiety toward President Trump centers on the prospects of him taking the country to war (40 percent), the country becoming more openly racist (28 percent), and President Trump undermining the legacy of President Obama (21 percent). 
• Most Important Legislative Priorities for African-Americans: Protecting Social Security (88 percent very important), keeping us safe from terrorists (78 percent), criminal justice reform (74 percent), reforming the election process so the candidate with the majority wins (72 percent), investigating Russian interference with the 2016 election (72 percent), protecting Obama’s legacy (71 percent), banning assault weapons (61 percent), and blocking Sessions (60 percent) are the top legislative priorities for African Americans nationally.

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About the Survey 

The phone survey was conducted by Brilliant Corners Research & Strategies from January 4-8, 2017 using professional interviewers. This survey consisted of 601 African Americans, at least 18 years of age who are registered to vote. The survey’s sample was drawn randomly from voter file and stratified geographically to ensure proportional representation. The margin of error overall is +/-4.0%, with a 95% confidence interval.