Current poll numbers show that black, Latino and female voters will ultimately decide the upcoming U.S. Senate race between incumbent Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan, Republican state House Speaker Thom Tillis and Libertarian candidate Sean Haugh.
Assuming the candidates are intelligent and have a social conscience, this means that during the next few days, their respective camps should be heavily pursuing strategies for appealing to these marginalized groups.
It’s fitting that the state’s most historically marginalized communities now understand that they hold the keys to the state’s political future.
Already, mud has been slung in two particular directions. Hagan has employed a standard broadcasting approach, campaigning to predominantly black listeners through radio ads, which has led to criticism of her “last minute radio ads,” according to McClatchy.
Republicans see the tactic of appealing to underrepresented groups of people as shallow.
Instead, Republicans say they want to open their conversation to minority groups and receive feedback pertaining to job growth, the economy and education.
By doing this, Republicans hope to earn the confidence of these groups, whom they imagine
will feel self-empowered to vote a Republican into office on their own accord.
In states like North Carolina, members of growing black and Latino/a populations are more likely to vote in favor of a candidate with a history of supporting social and financial progressiveness that bridges social and income disparities.
