Black Conservative Candidates Lauded as GOP's New Leadership
Citing both President Bush’s falling approval rating and a Family Research Council poll claiming continued high support for “values voter� issues like abortion and a federal marriage amendment, Star Parker – president and founder the Coalition on Urban Renewal & Education (CURE) – suggests those issues resonate with African-American voters and many conservative candidates have turned their backs to those “values voters� who helped elect them. She says "blacks are taking the values agenda into their own hands and showing a new leadership important for all Americans.� Parker notes that “Four powerful conservative black Republicans with excellent prospects will be on ballots in upcoming elections – Ken Blackwell, running for governor in Ohio, Lynn Swann, running for governor in Pennsylvania, Michael Steele, running for the Senate in Maryland, and Keith Butler, running for the Senate in Michigan."