IS MASSACHUSETTS READY TO ELECT A BLACK GOVERNOR?

By Talbert W. Swan, II

Politically and economically, blacks have made substantial strides in the post-civil rights era. Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, who ran for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988, brought unprecedented support and leverage to blacks in politics. In 1989, Virginia became the first state in U.S. history to elect a black governor, Douglas Wilder. In 1992 Carol Moseley-Braun of Illinois became the first black woman elected to the U.S. Senate.

In light of these advances, is Massachusetts ready to elect a Black governor? Deval Patrick, obviously, has decided the answer is yes. And on April 14, a few hours after formally beginning his campaign, he offered a glimpse of how he’ll handle the race issue in the coming months. "I certainly think about it because of who and what I am," Patrick said of his African-American identity. "It’s a part of who and what I am. I’m proud of it, but that’s not all I am. People do try to put other people in a box, and I’m asking people not to do that.

Patrick’s strategy seems clear: tell the public that being African-American is just one aspect of his personal and political identity, albeit an important one. It’s a smart approach for any candidate who happens not to be a white male. But can the race issue really be neutralized that easily? It’s in Patrick’s best interest to try to relegate it to the periphery, of course; if he doesn’t — and if voters come to see him primarily as the Black Candidate — his strengths will be obscured and his campaign will suffer. And yet, for better or worse, I believe race will be a defining aspect of his candidacy.

Consider the long-standing absence of African-Americans at the highest levels of state politics. Massachusetts used to be in the vanguard of black political empowerment: in 1966, Republican Ed Brooke defeated Endicott Peabody, his Democratic challenger, and became the first African-American elected to the US Senate. (He left the Senate in 1979, after losing a re-election bid to Democrat Paul Tsongas.) In hindsight, however, Brooke looks like an anomaly. No other black candidate in Massachusetts has made a serious run for the US Senate. Until now, no black candidate has run for governor. And while there have been occasional black congressional candidates they haven’t succeeded.

This year’s election will be a defining moment in the political history of Massachusetts. Whether or not the citizens of the Commonwealth are ready to be led by a Black man will soon be answered for in reality, Patrick won’t be running only against Attorney General Tom Reilly in the Democratic primary and Lt Governor Kerry Healy in the general election, provided he gets that far. He’ll also be trying, in his first run for elected office, to transform the state’s political culture. n