Free Republic

ATLANTA (AP) -- Herman Cain is a well-to-do black businessman with a strong belief that the Democratic Party that blacks embraced during the civil rights struggle has swung too far to the left. That is why he is running for the U.S. Senate this year as a Republican. More black Republicans are running for office in Georgia this year than ever before, and black candidates in other Southern states are also finding that declaring for the GOP is more accepted than it was just a few years ago. It is a small shift that Republican activists say could pay big...

Black Ala. Lawmaker to Switch to GOP Party Switch Gives Alabama Its First Black Republican Legislator in a Century MONTGOMERY, Ala. Jan. 9 — State Rep. Johnny Ford said Thursday he will switch from the Democratic to the Republican Party, making him the first black Republican in the Alabama Legislature in at least a century. "I am doing this because I strongly feel that in Alabama we need to put partisan politics behind us and join hands as one," said Ford, who quietly supported Republican Gov.-elect Bob Riley during last year's election. Ford said he planned to make an official...