Posted on 07/12/2004 7:00:41 AM PDT by areafiftyone
To: National Desk
Contact: Margaret Ekam of BAMPAC, 202-785-9619
WASHINGTON, July 12 /U.S. Newswire/ -- In a national poll of African American registered voters commissioned by Black America's Political Action Committee (BAMPAC), less than one in three (32 percent) African Americans stated that they definitely believed that Sen. John Kerry was the best candidate to replace President Bush. The poll was conducted June 30th to July 4th among 800 African American registered voters via phone by Wilson Research Strategies.
Twenty-one percent (21 percent) of African Americans stated that they probably believe that Sen. Kerry is the best candidate to replace President Bush. A total of 32 percent of African Americans stated they would have preferred someone other than Sen. Kerry to replace President Bush (18 percent stated they would probably have preferred someone other than Kerry to replace President Bush; 14 percent said that they would have definitely preferred someone other than Kerry to replace President Bush).
Other key findings of the poll include:
-- Seventeen percent of African Americans (17 percent) believe that President Bush deserves reelection. The president's approval rating among African Americans is 21 percent.
-- The most important issues to African Americans when choosing a candidate are the economy (34 percent); health care (12 percent) and education (11 percent)
-- Secretary of State Colin Powell is the most influential African American political figure. Powell earned this distinction from 38 percent of the respondents. Others listed included: Rev. Jesse Jackson (27 percent) and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice (8 percent).
In response to the poll findings, BAMPAC President and CEO Alvin Williams said, "The results show that while the majority of African Americans are in favor of selecting a new President, they are not completely sure that Senator John Kerry is the next best option."
ABOUT BAMPAC
Founded in 1994, BAMPAC is a non-partisan federal Political Action Committee committed to electing tomorrow's leaders today.
To schedule an interview with Alvin Williams contact Margaret Ekam at 202-785-9619. <p
Good news for Bush. Not good for sKerry. Looks like there will be a lot of blacks staying home on election day.
This looks like relatively good news to me.
While I hope this is true, something here doesn't pass the smell test.
Is Powell actively campaigning in African American communities?
Actually it makes sense. They don't trust Bush because he is a Republican, but they don't trust Kerry either. They do trust Powell. This is an opportunity for Bush, especially as the economy improves.
Blacks resent Kerry's patrician demeanor, his lack of black advisers and political connections, and the failure of the Democrats to put black politicians in positions of power.
When it comes to election day, however, they are still pretty sure to vote for him overwhelmingly. And in the majority black inner city districts, the Democrat operatives customarily cast their votes whether they turn up at the polls or not. Once again, it's important to have Republican poll watchers and lawyers at the polls.
Bush in dramatic contrast is completely at ease with African Americans, appointing then to the highest positions in his cabinet and among his personal friends.
Maybe, just maybe, Afro-Americans are beginning to see the hypocrisy in the Dem party that comes to them every four years and then fails to give them responsible posts in the party and administrations.
I'll be a charter member!
The Bush refusal to knuckle under to the NAACP will actually gain him black votes.
This indicates one of the biggest "shifts" between election cycle's in political history if it holds.
If Kerry can't realize the same level of black support that Gore did, it will be a blow out.
And I wonder if President Bush will thank the gay community for it.....(grin)
my African-American friends and acquaintances ABSOLUTELY HATE the idea of gay marriage!
I dont know much about this group but I went on their website to see if I could get the poll numbers and it wasn't uptodate as far as information goes. They only have polls and info from 2003 on their website.
Wondering how Juan Williams will spin this?
It would take a lot, but if Kerry loses even just a few percent of the black vote, he's screwed. Still, there's a long way to go until November. Making strides into the black community could only help Bush.
there are ZERO african americans in senior staff positions
in the kerry/edwards campaign . . . .
kinda ironic considering what tahRAYzuh said about republicans
last night.
En englais, por favor?
This sounds like a poll that says 21% want Saddam hung and 32% want Saddam beheaded (18% probably want Saddam beheaded and 14% definitely want Saddam beheaded).
It says nothing about the other 47%. Are they also wishing Saddam was dead or do they think Saddam should live?
This sounds like the old polling trick where you give one side of the debate five choices in a poll and give the other side one choice so (when you glance at the result), the impression is given that more people favor the one side with one choice than the other side divided among five choices.
Garbage in. Garbage out.
I just saw a short segment showing Kerry speaking. I would guess that someone has coached him to cease his bad imitation of Al Gore. Too bad.
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