Will Gay Marriage Hurt Obama with African Americans?

Will Gay Marriage Hurt Obama with African Americans?

Since Obama’s flip flop on gay marriage earlier this month (he supported it in 1996, before opposing it for 8 years starting in 2004), there has been a lot of talk about whether he will lose support with African Americans in the fall. African American voters, after all, are both a core Democratic constituency and pretty strong opponents of gay marriage. So, will the president pay a price?


To answer this question, we have to understand the nature of the African American vote in this country, since it differs substantially from the way pretty much every other group functions. African Americans are the only demographic group in the nation that votes in virtually uniform fashion for one side over other, come rain or shine. The Republican party is simply not an option, voting numbers suggest, which means that the Democratic party is the only vehicle for their political aspirations.