Animosity or Alliance? Identifying the Factors that Promote Black and Latino Electoral Coalitions.

This project addresses the following question: under what conditions do Black and Latino voters form electoral coalitions in local elections? Political scientists and media commentators often envision one of two different scenarios when discussing this issue. First, some scholars and political pundits highlight media reports of tensions between these two groups and conclude that they are more likely to be competitors rather than partners. Alternatively, it is often assumed that given their shared circumstances as disadvantaged minorities Blacks and Latinos will be natural allies and invariably join forces in the political arena. However, as recent elections in such diverse settings as Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, and New York suggest, Blacks and Latinos do not routinely support the same candidates. What accounts for this variation? I identify three factors that influence the formation of Black/Latino coalitions: co-ethnic elite endorsements, the salience of racial issues in the campaign, and the racial/ethnic background of the candidates. Each of these factors is important in their own right, but their interactive effect will have the most influence on electoral alliances among minority groups. Thus, I hypothesize that when a candidate from either of these racial or ethnic groups contends against a White candidate, and when racial issues are made salient during the campaign, endorsements from co-ethnic leaders will contribute significantly to the formation of a Black/Latino coalition. I argue that previous work has failed to appreciate the interactive importance of these factors. By looking at the relationship between local racial/ethnic leadership/organizations and coalition formation, we can better understand the conditions under which Blacks and Latinos will or will not form electoral coalitions at the local level. I develop a content analysis of local newspapers to assess how often the factors identified above are associated with Black/Latino coalitions. Additionally, I employ an experimental design to test the causal role of these factors. In general, I find support for my hypotheses although results are somewhat stronger for African Americans. In my conclusion, I discuss the implications of this work for the literature on bi-racial coalitions and speculate about future directions for this research agenda.Ph.D.Political ScienceUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78794/1/andreabz_1.pd