Despite Bernie Sanders’ lunch with civil rights activist Al Sharpton in Harlem the day after winning New Hampshire (handily), one of the most prominent African-American groups in Congress, the Congressional Black Caucus PAC, has chosen to endorse his opponent, Hillary Clinton. In fact, Sanders didn’t receive a single vote from the group.
Mrs. Clinton has been a “long-term, longtime partner and helped in the election of Democrats across the board,” said Rep. Gregory Meeks, New York Democrat and chairman of the caucus’s political action committee, in announcing the endorsement.
This will be a blow to Sanders, who is seeking to win the important African-American vote in the Democratic primary. The candidates’ jockeying for this demographic is no surprise.
"It will be very difficult, if not impossible, for a Democrat to win the nomination without strong levels of support among African American and Hispanic voters," Robby Mook, Clinton's campaign manager, wrote in a Tuesday memo to reporters.
Clinton has the advantage in the South Carolina primary; Polling shows that she has doubled her lead in the state. Yet, new reports suggest her win is not inevitable. That’s because her problem with millennials defies demographics. Young black voters, it seems, are becoming just as disenchanted with the candidate as young white voters. They are nervous about her inconsistent record and her husband’s policies as president, reports NPR, particularly the 1994 Violent Crime Control Act, which some claim led to an increase in African-American incarcerations. Is there a hole in her southern “firewall” after all?
Sharpton will meet with Clinton next week and before deciding who to endorse.