A Final Push To Register Voters May Give Democrats A Boost In The Midterms

With less than two months until the midterm elections, the deadline to register to vote has passed but not before organizations around the country made a final push to increase the number of minorities eligible to participate on Nov. 8.

Voting rights advocates like LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, tweeted about Ben & Jerry’s new ice cream flavor which was created to highlight the importance of voting. Black Voters Matter and the politically conscious brand partnered on the new treat.

In the two years since the 2020 election, Republicans have been accused of targeting minority voters’ rights at the ballot box with a national strategy focused on making it more difficult to vote.

From parking lots to college campuses, there were opportunities to register before the deadline on Sept. 20.

There are 19 African American candidates reportedly running for a gubernatorial or congressional office this fall. According to the Washington Post, since 1877 only seven Black senators have been elected and two governors.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Jones is campaigning for the statehouse in Arkansas. His opponent is a well-known Republican, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who served as Donald Trump’s press secretary. Sanders’ father, Mike Huckabee, is a former Arkansas governor. Polls show Sanders leading in the red state.

In Alabama Yolanda Flowers won the Democratic runoff to face incumbent Governor Kay Ivey. Flowers is the first African American nominee for the office.

All 435 House seats are up for grabs in November and 35 Senate seats will be decided. Congresswoman Val Demings, who is challenging Senator Marco Rubio for his position as one of Florida’s Senators, encouraged residents in her state to register online.

If Demings wins and former Chief Justice Cheri Beasley from North Carolina defeats Republican Ted Budd, the history books will need an update because only two Black women have been elected to the Senate. A recent North Carolina poll shows Budd with a small lead over Beasley.

In Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock is up for re-election; his opponent is former football star Herschel Walker. And Wisconsin’s Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes is facing Senator Ron Johnson, who supported former President Donald Trump’s assault on the validity of the 2020 election.

Wins from the African American candidates could help Democrats bolster their slight advantage in the Senate provided by Vice-President Kamala Harris whose tie-breaking vote has made the difference in several key pieces of legislation. But Republicans are also eager to gain the upper hand in the Senate and the House in the midterm election. Their chances seemed better several months ago, but President Biden’s bill allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices along with an uptick in his public approval rating suggest Democrats could walk away with more election victories than once projected.