African American candidates for state and federal office in the United States face unique challenges, given the nation's complicated racial dynamics. While Black candidates running statewide have been elected in increasing numbers in many areas of the country, there have been fewer successes in the US South. This book examines the campaigns of Black statewide candidates in the South to untangle the factors that led to their electoral successes as well as the factors that continue to stymie positive electoral results. Looking at broader regional demographic and political trends, the authors project that the South is on the threshold of a major breakthrough for African American statewide candidates, who will have a substantial role in not only fundamentally changing the political dynamics of the region, but the nation as well.
