Black Millennials, Slipping Alliances, and the Democratic Party

Bibliographic Data

ID2952014
AuthorsDonovan A Watts (0000-0002-2546-2434, Indiana University Bloomington, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume9
Issue2
Pages211-234
Publication date2024-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Journal of Race Ethnicity and Politics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2056-6085 • E-ISSN: 2056-6085
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/rep.2023.43
OpenAlexW4390741673
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited58

Recent election cycles show a reluctance among Black millennials to support the Democratic Party, which suggests that they are not captured by the party like their predecessors. While we know that African Americans have historically remained a loyal voting bloc, it is important to analyze whether there are generational differences with respect to Black Democratic Party loyalty. In this study, I analyze Black millennial partisanship identification and compare it to Black non-millennials (Baby Boomers and Gen X'ers). To test this, I employ a multi-method approach. My results show that while Black millennials continue to identify with the Democratic Party, they are not as loyal to the Democratic Party when compared to Black non-millennials. Further, I find that Black millennials are not changing loyalties to the Republican or a third party. Instead, Black millennials are willing to withhold their vote altogether if they are not satisfied with any Democratic candidates. My work has critical implications in how we understand Black politics and reveals that Democratic candidates will have to earn Black millennials vote going forward

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