Black Republicans Say 2010 Will Be Their Year

Allen West, a retired Army colonel who is running for the second time against Democratic Rep. Ron Klein in Florida's 22nd congressional district, West, is one of a small but determined group of black Republicans running for seats in the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives in 2010.

By Kelley Beaucar Vlahos

FOXNews.com

Monday, October 12, 2009

When former President Jimmy Carter said racism was an underlying factor in attacks on President Obama, it's safe to say he had no intention of boosting Allen West's campaign for Congress in Florida's Broward County.

But according to West, a retired Army colonel who is running for the second time against Democratic Rep. Ron Klein in Florida's 22nd congressional district, that is exactly what has happened.

"Since (Democrats) have thrown out the race card, it has made me more appealing," says West, one of a small but determined group of black Republicans running for seats in the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives in 2010.

Eager to overturn the "conventional wisdom" that the GOP is mainly a white bread party that offers few opportunities for minorities, these black Republicans believe they can attract increasingly agitated conservatives, as well as independents, to make 2010 their year.

They also conceded in interviews that the injection of race -- a familiar theme since Obama's election last year -- has given them a certain edge and authority when they speak out against the president's agenda. Because they're black, they say, they can lead the charge against Democratic policies without being called "racist." In fact, they say, their skin color may make them more attractive candidates.

"A lot of people who don't want to be part of Obama's policies are being called racist," West said. "Then they say, 'Hey, this guy, Colonel West -- he's black and I support him.'"

"It's made me more appealing," West told FOXNews.com, "because it shows the contrast of our principles -- how different we are even though we both have permanent tans."

Ryan Frazier, a 31-year-old councilman from Colorado, is running for U.S Senate against Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet. He, too, thinks his black skin will make it impossible to label him a racist because he opposes the president.

"I don't think they will be able to use that argument against me or engage in those tactics against me -- I certainly don't hate myself," Frazier said.

Michael Williams, the four-term Texas railroad commissioner who plans to run for the U.S Senate seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson next year, says being black will help him, too.

"One of the things it allows me to do, "it allows me to speak very, very frankly about what I believe, and what I feel, and nobody is going to call me a racist. " Williams said.

"They may try and call me a sell-out ... but I've been doing this for 11 years and that certainly doesn't bother me anymore."

Williams wrote a strident response to Carter on his Web site last month, saying that "stigmatizing honest opposition as 'racist' appears to be a way of not answering legitimate questions about policy reform. I, for one, oppose the president's health care plan because it will explode the deficit, allow further government intrusion into the doctor-patient relationship, and continue to insulate healthcare consumers from the true cost of their care."

John Gizzi, political editor for the conservative Human Events magazine, said emerging "top tier" black Republicans like Williams and West "are the worst nightmare for Democrats," because "they will be the ones who can go toe-to-toe with Barack Obama and the media will pay attention.

"The very fact that these candidates, who happen to be African-American, can address the issue (of health care) ... is very, very significant," Gizzi said. "People are going to listen because they will eliminate any racially incendiary issues that have entered into this debate."

Blacks and the GOP: A Mixed Bag

Black Republicans have been trying for years to break onto the scene with notable, but minimal, success, Gizzi said.

There have been four black U.S senators since Reconstruction. The first was Massachusetts Sen. Edward Brooke, a Republican, who served from 1967-1979. The other three were all Illinois Democrats -- Carol Mosely Braun (1993-1999), Obama (2005-200 and Roland Burris, who replaced Obama last year.

In 1990, Gary Franks of Connecticut was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives -- the first black Republican elected to the House since1932. He served three terms before he was defeated in 1996.

Since Franks, there has been only one black Republican in the House -- J.C. Watts of Oklahoma, who served from 1995 to 2003.

There have been some notable also-rans, most recently former NFL star Lynn Swann, who ran and lost against Democrat Ed Rendell for governor of Pennsylvania in 2006. At the same time, Republican Secretary of State Ken Blackwell ran and lost a bid for governor in Ohio.

After losing his bid for U.S. Senate in 2006, former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele became the second black official to head a major political party when he was elected Republican National Committee chairman 10 months ago. The other black party chairman was Ron Brown, who headed the Democratic National Committee from 1989 to 1993.

The GOP still calls itself the “Party of Lincolnâ€