WASHINGTON – After historic midterms, when they helped Democrats recapture the House of Representatives, women of color are moving fast to leverage their newfound political clout for the 2020 presidential election.
“We are demanding a return on our voting investment," said Glynda Carr, co-founder of Higher Heights, which supports black female candidates and more black political involvement.“We have seen women step up in the entire political ecosystem. It’s not only running for office. We see women step up and running campaigns, being the press secretaries, being the finance director," said A’shanti F. Gholar, political director at Emerge America, which trains Democratic female candidates.
The group plans to hold a town hall this spring in Virginia to focus on state races. Virginia is a crucial state for Democratic presidential candidates. “There’s an energy in communities of women of color to do everything possible to have a greater voice and to make sure they are not taken for granted,” Walsh said.“Democratic presidential hopefuls who ignore the power of the votes of women of color do so at their own peril,” she said.
The group will send questionnaires to presidential candidates and follow up with meetings with their campaigns. Black female voters helped Doug Jones pull off an upset in Alabama in 2017, making him the state’s first Democratic senator in 25 years.
That guy almost won