Ever since Barack Obama took office, the number of blacks seeking office has been on the rise and now those numbers have reached an all-time high. JET reports that next month more than 100 black representatives will be on the ballot for congressional and state races. There are 25 black candidates running for state offices like lieutenant governor, governor and senate offices, more than ever before. There’s also a chance that there could be 20 black women in the U.S House of Representatives, which would be the most its ever seen, if the women currently holding office win and the ones seeking office come out victorious.
Director of Columbia University’s Center on African-American Politics and Society Fredrick C. Harris told the Associated Press that this surge of black presence in candidacy is an “Obama coattails effect.” He says that President Barack Obama being in office not only motivated more blacks to vote but also pushed candidates to pursue offices they may not have in the past.
The previous record for blacks running for the U.S House was set in 2012 with 72 representatives.