{"id":8354,"date":"2022-11-07T11:00:21","date_gmt":"2022-11-07T16:00:21","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-04-23T23:55:29","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T03:55:29","slug":"10-facts-about-black-republicans","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2022\/11\/07\/10-facts-about-black-republicans\/","title":{"rendered":"10 facts about Black Republicans"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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(adamkaz via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The relationship between Black Americans and the Republican Party has drawn considerable attention in recent years. Discussions have ranged from why Black men voted for Donald Trump at higher rates than Black women<\/a> in the 2020 presidential election to more recent debates about Black pop culture and the appeal of GOP-aligned candidates<\/a> in both national and local politics.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The partisan balance among Black adults in the United States is little changed over the last several decades<\/a>, but it shifted substantially in the mid-20th century. In the 1930s, Black adults were just as likely to support the Republican Party<\/a> as the Democratic Party. The share of Black adults who affiliated with the GOP started to decline in the 1940s, particularly after President Harry S. Truman, a Democrat, issued an executive order to desegregate<\/a> the U.S. military in 1948. This shift was solidified after the passage of the Civil Rights Act under Democratic President Lyndon Johnson in 1964.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, only about one-in-ten Black adults identify with or lean toward the Republican Party. And in a Pew Research Center survey in October, only 4% of Black registered voters said they would vote for the Republican candidate<\/a> for the U.S. House seat in their district, while 69% said they would back the Democratic candidate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to their views on race, Black Republicans differ from Black Democrats in one key way: They tend to support individualistic approaches<\/a> to addressing racial inequality, while Black Democrats tend to support institutional approaches. For example, Black Republicans and those who lean to the GOP are more likely than Black Democrats and Democratic leaners (59% vs. 41%) to say that the bigger problem for Black people is racist acts committed by individual people, as opposed to racism in our laws. And they are less likely than Black Democrats to support complete institutional overhauls to the prison system (35% vs. 57%), policing (29% vs. 52%) and the judicial process (35% vs. 50%) to ensure fair treatment of Black people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are 10 facts about Black Republicans and what they think about race and identity, based on recent Center surveys. All findings about Republicans and Democrats include independents who lean to each party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related: Latino Republicans hold distinct views on guns and immigration, highlighting their shaky ties to GOP<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

How we did this<\/div>