Posted on 09/14/2012 8:25:44 PM PDT by grundle
As the next Presidential election draws nigh in November, the two most popular candidates, Democratic President Barack Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney have been paving the campaign trail. With election year comes slander, controversy and your occasional celebrity political rants. Politics met entertainment with the latest celebrity rant, coming from Nicki Minaj, in which she rapped in vote of Republican Mitt Romney. This was a shock to fans and celebrity bloggers everywhere, but Nicki is not the only popular African-American face that has shown favor to the GOP. Here is a list of some African-American celebrities who have supported or are affiliated with the Republican party:
LL Cool J
LL Cool J attended the Republican Convention in 2004 and has been a supporter of Republican New York governor George Pataki back in 2002. He has never officially stated his political party.
50 Cent
Rapper and entrepreneur 50 Cent was a supporter of former Republican president George W. Bush Jr. during his term in office. In 2005, he is noted for stating to GQ Magazine that wants to meet the former president, and “just shake his hand and tell him how much of me I see in him.”
Karl Malone
Karl Malone, known more famously as “The Mailman,” is a former NBA player and is registered as a member of the Republican party. Malone also donated to the 2004 re-election campaign of former president George W. Bush.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
“The Rock,” a household name from the WWF franchise is claimed to be a registered Republican. He was formerly invited to speak at the 2000 Republican National Convention.
Zora Neale Hurston
As one of the most popular African-American female authors, Zora Neale Hurston supported the Republican party during the span of her life. Hurston belonged to the Republican party and agreed with many of Booker T. Washington’s politics on hard work and self-help. She also highly opposed the Supreme Court ruling in the Brown vs. Board of Education case in 1954 for various reasons.
Don King
As one of the most popular African-Americans affiliated with the GOP, it’s no surprise that this political figure is on the list. In 2005, he highly supported former president George W. Bush and his policies amongst other Republican candidates.
T.D. Jakes
He has not made his official political party very clear, but renowned Bishop T.D. Jakes has been affiliated with the former President George W. Bush, stating that the President seemed to take his faith seriously and was a very “believable and straight-forward person.”
Wilt Chamberlain
Known for many, many things in addition to his basketball feats, Wilt Chamberlain is also known for supporting the GOP. He voted Republican throughout his life, and in 1992, published a book about his life, “A View From Above,” that went deep into his life and his views as a supporter of Republican politics.
Sheryl Underwood
Comedienne Sheryl Underwood is a self-proclaimed and registered Republican. She has officially stated her political preference: “I would call myself a sexually progressive, God-fearing, black Republican.”
Lynn Swann
Lynn Swann is most famously known as a former wide receiver for the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers team from 1974 to 1982. After his tenure as a football player, Swann went on to become the Republican nominee for governor of Pennsylvania in 2006.
Condoleezza Rice
Another famous political figure, Condoleezza Rice is known for being the 66th United States Secretary of State under the Bush administration and the first female African-American to hold the title. She proudly supported the Bush administration while in office, and more recently spoke at the 2012 Republican National Convention.
Jimmie Walker
Jimmie Walker is known for being J.J. from the classic 1970′s sitcom “Good Times” and he is a registered Republican. In an interview with Bill O’Reilly, Walker stated his personal opinion about President Obama, noting that he is not “a good guy for the job we need to do.”
Joseph C. Phillips
Best known for his role in the long-running sitcom “The Bill Cosby Show,” actor Joseph Phillips is a conservative Christian commentator and is known for being a critic of same-sex marriage. The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. member was National Co-Chair of the African American Steering committee for the Bush Cheney campaign in 2004, and was named a member of the Republican National Committee’s African American Advisory Board.
Colin Powell
Colin Powell was a very important political figure for the beginning of the Bush administration, serving as the 65th United States Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005, right before Condoleezza Rice.
Booker T. Washington
You may remember him from the history books, but Booker T. Washington was also affiliated with the Republican party, having been both Teddy Roosevelt and William Taft’s adviser during their tenure.
Ms. Minaj has since claimed that she was speaking “in character” when she rapped support of Romney, and that she’s actually a Zer0 supporter. Zer0’s loss is Mittens’s gain.
Wilt Chamberlain - don’t forget his stint as an airline pilot!
Nicki Minaj?
Anyway, Condi implied she voted for Obama, but never came out and said it. She would not say who she was voting for. I can't blame her for not being a staunch McCain supporter, but I do blame her for speaking so highly of Obama after he was elected. She should have known better. Her job is politics, not like most of the others on this list.
Colin Powell was an outright Obama supporter.
On one hand, LL Cool J also did some fundraisers for Obama.
On the other hand, 50 Cent has been outspoken against Obama, not just a supporter of Bush.
Also add to the list Ice-T. Probably a lot more libertarian that Republican, but definitely not in Obama’s camp.
Condi never said she voted for Obama. All that is being assumed because she was her usual gracious self in some radio interview where she said it was an important day for African Americans. It is one of those things that was said by a few blogs, then repeated and repeated until it was assumed true.
He is one of those people who are personally very Conservative, has spoken out on Conservative issues, but still votes Democrat. He has done several fundraisers for Obama and has spoken out for him. It is a shame how stereotypes (be it race or the old bull about Dems being for the little guy) trump real values.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.