White Democratic candidates Prapple with race
Strategist: Candidates face ‘woke litmus test’
HOUSTON — Former Vice President Joe Biden’s decision to enter the Democratic presidential race is causing consternation among some Democrats, particularly women of color, who have been hoping for a nominee who better reflects the nation’s diversity.
At the She the People forum, billed as the first presidential forum focused on women of color, Roxy D. Hall Williamson’s shoulders slumped at the mention of Biden, whose official announcement was expected Thursday.
“I know that we have been cultured to feel that only the white man can save us,” the Lamarque, Texas, organizer said Wednesday. “I just don’t feel like Biden is our answer.”
Biden’s candidacy is likely to reshape the Democratic race, which has put the party’s diversity on display. The group of eight 2020 hopefuls who spoke at the forum was comprised of one black man, one black woman, three other women, a Latino man and two white men, all making the case for why they should be the nominee.
Democratic strategist Joel Payne said Wednesday there is a “woke litmus test” for any white person who wants to win the Democratic presidential nomination.
“All candidates, especially nonethnic minority candidates, need to be fluent in the issues that matter most to black America — police brutality, criminal justice reform, reparations, social justice,” said Payne, an alumnus of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.
White presidential candidates
Beto O’rourke of Texas, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont were speakers at the forum.
Sanders got a polarized reception from the mostly black and brown crowd. Sanders’ initial response to how the federal government should respond to the rising threat of white nationalism was shouted down by many in the audience. And when he brought up his participation in the 1963 March on Washington, Sanders was booed by the crowd.
Elsewhere on the campaign trail Wednesday:
Presidential candidate Cory Booker released 10 years of tax returns Wednesday. Booker reported income of $152,715 in 2018 for his salary as a U.S. senator from New Jersey. He paid $22,781 in taxes and had an effective tax rate of 19 percent. Booker donated $24,000 to charity in 2018 — or more than 15 percent of his income. That contrasts with other Democratic presidential candidates who have reported giving much smaller percentages to charity in their tax returns, often 2 percent or less.
Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg received his first endorsement from a member of Congress. Threeterm Democratic Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia told The Washington Post on Wednesday that he’s backing the 37yearold mayor of South Bend, Indiana.