Replication data for: Taking Charge: Black Electoral Success and the Redefinition of American Politics

Taking charge: Black electoral success and the In the 32 years since the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, the number of black elected officials in the United States has skyrocketed to nearly 8,000, including more than 400 black state legislators, more than 300 black mayors, and 37 black members of Congress. This book weighs the political significance of black electoral success, focusing on the most prominent class of black of officeeholders: black members of Congress. Looking past the policy activism of legislators, this book examines instead the impact of black congressional representation on the political behavior and political attitudes of constituents. Using both aggregate and survey data, I demonstrate that the presence of black congressional representatives has reshaped the contours of mass politics. As a bridge connecting constituents to the political world, black congressmen have altered the substance of politics by changing the face of the participant community. Black congressional representation, where it exists, has precipitated a decline in white political engagement, as well as a realignment in the partisan preferences of white Americans who remain politically active. It has reinforced the partisan profile of black Americans, while not decisively influencing their levels of engagement. The behavioral response of constituents to black congressional representation is, in part, a function of black electoral styles. Black congressmen who eschew provocative rhetoric, and embrace coalition-building, can stem the tide of white political defection. Furthermore, such broad appeals do not compromise their ability to inspire black political engagement. The behavioral response of constituents also reflects racial differences in the evaluation of minority political leadership: for white Americans, minority office-holding has jeopardized the quality of the representational experience, casting doubt on the utility of political involvement; for black constituents, minority office-holding has promoted more favorable impressions of the political landscape. As evidenced by their expressed opinions and attitudes, whites and African-Americans can be in the same environment, but in two different worlds. Where African-Americans enjoy political prominence, race becomes the primary lens through which blacks and whites, alike, interpret and experience politics. The end result is an electorate polarized in attitudes, in political preferences, and in political involvement