Can African Americans Win High-Profile Statewide Offices in the South? A Study in Southern Inhospitality

Using quantitative methods, this article seeks to explore the electoral fortunes of black high-profile statewide candidates in the South. In doing so, we examine both the correlation between vote support for black candidates across counties, as well as the relationship between voter support and the influence of candidate characteristics, such as political apprenticeship, party support, money, incumbency, and media endorsement on electoral support. Although we find that there is a core of white voters who will vote against a black gubernatorial or US Senatorial candidate no matter the circumstance, several unexpected and interesting developments emerge that have profound consequences for the election of future Southern black high-profile statewide hopefuls.