Hostname: page-component-65f69f4695-6knnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-06-26T17:38:15.466Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

White Residents, Black Incumbents, and a Declining Racial Divide

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 January 2002

Zoltan L. Hajnal
Zoltan L. Hajnal*
Affiliation:
University of California, San Diego
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Despite the hopes of the civil rights movement, researchers have found that the election of African Americans to office has not greatly improved the well-being of the black community. This study focuses on the white community, however, and finds that black leadership can have a profound effect. Under black mayors there is positive change in the white vote and in the racial sentiments expressed by members of the white electorate. Although white Republicans seem largely immune to the effects of black incumbency, for Democrats and independents an experience with a black mayoralty tends to decrease racial tension, increase racial sympathy, and increase support of black leadership.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
American Political Science Review , Volume 95 , Issue 3 , September 2001 , pp. 603 - 617
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 2001

References

Abney, F. Glenn, and Hutcheson, John D., Jr. 1981. “Race, Representation, and Trust: Changes in Attitudes after the Election of a Black Mayor.” Public Opinion Quarterly 45 (1): 91–101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Adorno, Theodore W., Else Frenkel-Brunswick, Levinson, Daniel J., and R. Nevitt Sanford. 1950. The Authoritarian Personality. New York: Harper and Row.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Allport, G. W. 1954. The Nature of Prejudice. Menlo Park, CA: Addison-Wesley.Google Scholar
Alt, James E. 1994. “The Impact of the Voting Rights Act on Black and White Voter Registration in the South.” In Quiet Revolution in the South: The Impact of the Voting Rights Act, 1965–1990. ed. Chandler Davidson and Bernard Grofman. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Pp. 351–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bartels, Larry M. 1991. “Instrumental and ‘Quasi-Instrumental’ Variables.” American Journal of Political Science 35 (3): 777–800.Google Scholar
Bell, Derrick. 1992. Faces at the Bottom of the Well: The Permanence of Racism. New York: Basic Books.Google Scholar
Blumer, Herbert. 1958. “Race Prejudice as a Sense of Group Position.” Pacific Sociological Review 1 (1): 3–7.Google Scholar
Bobo, Lawrence. 1983. “Whites’ Opposition to Busing: Symbolic Racism or Realistic Group Conflict.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 45 (6): 1196–210.Google Scholar
Bobo, Lawrence, and Gilliam, Franklin D., Jr. 1990. “Race, Sociopolitical Participation, and Black Empowerment.” American Political Science Review 84 (2): 377–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Browning, Rufus P., Marshall, Dale Rogers, and Tabb, David H.. 1997. “Taken In or Just Taken? Political Incorporation of African Americans in Cities.” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Bullock, Charles S., and Dunn, Richard E.. 1997. “The Demise of Racial Districting and the Future of Black Representation.” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Bullock, Charles S., III. 1984. “Racial Crossover Voting and the Election of Black Officials.” Journal of Politics 46 (1): 238–51.Google Scholar
Carmines, Edward G., and Stimson, James A.. 1989. Issue Evolution: Race and the Transformation of American Politics. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Citrin, Jack, Green, Donald Philip, and Sears, David O.. 1990. “White Reactions to Black Candidates: When Does Race Matter?” Public Opinion Quarterly 54 (1): 74–96.Google Scholar
Cole, Leonard A. 1976. Blacks in Power: A Comparative Study of Black and White Elected Officials. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Conover, Pamela J., and Feldman, Stanley. 1989. “Candidate Perception in an Ambiguous World: Campaigns, Cues and Inference Processes.” American Journal of Political Science 33 (4): 912–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Devine, Patricia G. 1989. “Stereotypes and Prejudice: Their Automatic and Controlled Components.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 56 (1): 5–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eisinger, Peter K. 1980. Politics and Displacement: Racial and Ethnic Transition in Three American Cities. New York: Academic.Google Scholar
Eisinger, Peter K. 1982. “Black Employment in Municipal Jobs: The Impact of Black Political Power.” American Political Science Review 76 (June): 380–92.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fazio, Russel H., Jackson, Joni R., Dunton, Bridget C., and Williams, Carol J.. 1995. “Variability in Automatic Activation as an Unobtrusive Measure of Racial Attitudes: A Bona Fide Pipeline?” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 69 (6): 1013–27.Google Scholar
Fiske, Susan T. 1998. “Stereotyping, Prejudice, and Discrimination.” In The Handbook of Social Psychology. ed. Susan T. Fiske, Daniel Gilbert, and Gardner Lindzey. Boston: McGraw-Hill. Pp. 357– 411.Google Scholar
Fossett, Mark A., and Jill Kiecolt, K.. 1989. “The Relative Size of Minority Populations and White Racial Attitudes.” Social Science Quarterly 70 (4): 820–35.Google Scholar
Gay, Claudine. 1999. “When Blacks Win: The Impact of Black Congressional Representation on Political Behavior.” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association, Atlanta.Google Scholar
Giles, Michael W., and Evans, Arthur. 1986. “The Power Approach to Intergroup Hostility.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 30 (3): 469–86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glaser, James M. 1994. “Back to the Black Belt: Racial Environment and White Racial Attitudes in the South.” Journal of Politics 56 (1): 21–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Green, Donald P., Strolovitch, Dara Z., and Wong, Janelle S.. 1998. “Defended Neighborhoods, Integration, and Racially Motivated Crime.” American Journal of Sociology 104 (2): 372–403.Google Scholar
Hajnal, Zoltan L. 1998. “White Voters and Black Candidates: Why Race Matters Less under Black Incumbents.” PhD. diss. Department of Political Science. University of Chicago.Google Scholar
Hamilton, D. L. 1981. “Cognitive Processes in Stereotyping and Intergroup Behavior.” Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Henry, Charles P. 1987. “Racial Factors in the 1982 California Gubernatorial Campaign: Why Bradley Lost.” In The New Black Politics: The Search for Political Power. ed. Preston, Michael B., Henderson, Lenneal J., and Puryear, Paul L.. New York: Longman. Pp. 76–94.Google Scholar
Huckfeldt, Robert, and Carol Weitzel Kohfeld. 1989. Race and the Decline of Class in American Politics. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.Google Scholar
Hurwitz, Jon, and Peffley, Mark. 1998. “Prejudice and Politics: Race and Politics in the United States.” New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Jackman, Mark R., and Crane, Marie. 1986. “‘Some of My Best Friends Are Black …’ Interracial Friendship and Whites’ Racial Attitudes.” Public Opinion Quarterly 50 (4): 459–86.Google Scholar
Joint Center for Political Studies. 1965–97. Black Elected Officials: A National Roster. Washington, DC: Joint Center for Political Studies.Google Scholar
Karnig, Albert K., and Welch, Susan. 1980. Black Representation and Urban Policy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Kinder, Donald, and Mendelberg, Tali. 1995. “Cracks in American Apartheid: The Political Impact of Prejudice among Desegregated Whites.” Journal of Politics 57 (2): 402–24.Google Scholar
Kinder, Donald R., and Sanders, Lynn. 1996. Divided by Color. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Kinder, Donald R., and Sears, David O.. 1981. “Prejudice and Politics: Symbolic Racism Versus Racial Threats to the Good Life.” Journal of Personality and Social Physiology 40 (3): 414–31.Google Scholar
Lieske, Joel, and Hillard, Jan William. 1984. “The Racial Factor in Urban Elections.” Western Political Quarterly 37 (4): 545–63.Google Scholar
Loewen, James. 1990. “Racial Bloc Voting and Political Mobilization in South Carolina.” Review of Black Political Economy 19 (1): 23–37.Google Scholar
Long, Larry E. 1988. Migration and Residential Mobility in the United States. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.Google Scholar
Lublin, David, and Tate, Katherine. 1995. “Racial Group Competition in Urban Elections.” In Classifying by Race. ed. Peterson, Paul E.. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Pp. 245–61.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Macrae, C. Neil, Hewstone, Miles, and Griffiths, R. G.. 1993. “Processing Load and Memory for Stereotype-Based Information.” European Journal of Social Physiology 23 (1): 77–87.Google Scholar
Marable, Manning. 1992. The Crisis of Color and Democracy. Monroe, ME: Common Courage.Google Scholar
Massey, Douglas, and Hajnal, Zoltan. 1995. “The Changing Geographic Structure of Black-White Segregation in the United States.” Social Science Quarterly 76 (3): 527–42.Google Scholar
McCrary, Peyton. 1990. “Racially Polarized Voting in the South: Quantitative Evidence from the Courtroom.” Social Science History 14 (4): 507–31.Google Scholar
Miller, Warren E., and National Election Studies. 1994. American National Election Studies Cumulative Data File, 1952–1994. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, Center for Political Studies.Google Scholar
Mladenka, Kenneth R. 1989. “Blacks and Hispanics in Urban Politics.” American Political Science Review 83 (March): 165–91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Perry, Huey L. 1996. Race, Politics and Governance in the United States. Gainesville: University Press of Florida.Google Scholar
Pettigrew, Thomas F. 1976. “Black Mayoral Campaigns.” In Urban Governance and Minorities. ed. Bryce, Herrington J.. New York: Praeger. Pp. 14–29.Google Scholar
Popkin, Samuel L. 1995. “Information Shortcuts and the Reasoning Voter.” In Information, Participation and Choice: An Economic Theory of Democracy in Perspective. ed. Bernard Grofman. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. Pp. 17–35.Google Scholar
Reed, Adolph. 1988. “The Black Urban Regime: Structural Origins and Constraints.” In Power, Community, and the City. ed. Michael Peter Smith. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction. Pp. 138–89.Google Scholar
Reeves, Keith. 1997. Voting Hopes or Fears? White Voters, Black Candidates, and Racial Politics in America. Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rieder, Jonathan. 1985. Canarsie: The Jews and Italians of Brooklyn against Liberalism. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Rivlin, Gary. 1992. Fire on the Prairie: Chicago's Harold Washington and the Politics of Race. New York: Henry Holt.Google Scholar
Rothbart, Myron, and John, Oliver P.. 1993. “Intergroup Relations and Stereotype Change: A Social-Cognitive Analysis and Some Longitudinal Findings.” In Prejudice, Politics, and the American Dilemma. ed. Sniderman, Paul M., Tetlock, Phillip E., and Carmines, Edward G.. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. Pp. 32–59.Google Scholar
Russakoff, Dale. 1983. “Birmingham Reelects Black: Once-Split City Unites at Polls.” Washington Post, October 13, A1.Google Scholar
Schuman, Howard, Steeth, Charlotte, Bobo, Lawrence, and Krysan, Maria. 1997. Racial Attitudes in America: Trends and Interpretations. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Scott, Austin. 1977. “Black Mayors in Atlanta, Detroit Expand Re-Election Support.” Washington Post, October 4, A1.Google Scholar
Sigelman, Carol K., Sigelman, Lee, Walkosz, Barbara J., and Nitz, Michael. 1995. “Black Candidates, White Voters: Understanding Racial Bias in Political Perceptions.” American Journal of Political Science 39 (1): 243–65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Singh, Robert. 1998. The Congressional Black Caucus: Racial Politics in the U.S. Congress. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Sleeper, Jim. 1993. “The End of the Rainbow? The Changing Politics of America's Cities.” The New Republic, November 1, pp. 20–5.Google Scholar
Smith, Robert C. 1996. We Have No Leaders: African Americans in the Post-Civil Rights Era. Albany: State University of New York Press.Google Scholar
Sonnenshein, Raphael J. 1993. Politics in Black and White: Race and Power in Los Angeles. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
South, Scott J., and Deane, Glenn D.. 1993. “Race and Residential Mobility: Individual Determinants and Structural Constraints.” Social Forces 72 (1): 147–67.Google Scholar
Starks, Robert T. 1991. “A Commentary and Response to ‘Exploring the Meaning and Implication of Deracialization in African-American Urban Politics.’ “ Urban Affairs Quarterly 27 (2): 216–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stone, Clarence N. 1997. “Race and Regime in Atlanta.” In Racial Politics in American Cities. ed. Browning, Rufus P., Marshall, Dale Rogers, and Tabb, David H.. New York: Longman. Pp. 125–39.Google Scholar
Swain, Carol M. 1995. Black Face, Black Interests: The Representation of African Americans in Congress. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Terkildsen, Nayda. 1993. “When White Voters Evaluate Black Candidates: The Processing Implications of Candidate Skin Color, Prejudice, and Self-Monitoring.” American Journal of Political Science 37 (4): 1032–53.Google Scholar
Thernstrom, Abigail. 1995. “Racial Gerrymanders Come Before the Court.” Wall Street Journal, April 12, A15.Google Scholar
Thernstrom, Stephan, and Thernstrom, Abigail. 1997. America in Black and White: One Nation, Indivisible. New York: Simon and Schuster.Google Scholar
U.S. Bureau of the Census. 1964, 1990, 1994. City and County Data Book. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.Google Scholar
U.S. News and World Report. 1975. “Is a Black Mayor the Solution? Here's How Six Have Fared.” U.S. News and World Report, April 7, p. 34.Google Scholar
Vanderleeuw, James M. 1990. “A City in Transition: The Impact of Changing Racial Composition on Voting Behavior.” Social Science Quarterly 71 (2): 326–38.Google Scholar
Watson, S. M. 1984. “The Second Time Around: A Profile of Black Mayoral Election Campaigns.” Phylon 45 (3): 165–75.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weber, Renee, and Crocker, Jennifer. 1983. “Cognitive Processes in the Revision of Stereotypic Beliefs.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 45 (5): 961–77.Google Scholar
Williams, Linda F. 1990. “White/Black Perceptions of the Electability of Black Political Candidates.” National Black Political Science Review 2 (1): 45–64.Google Scholar
Wolman, Harold, Page, Edward, and Reavley, Martha. 1990. “Mayors and Mayoral Careers.” Urban Affairs Quarterly 25 (3): 500–13.Google Scholar
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.