Is race … the key to victory for those left looking to lead the DNC?

As February came to close – it looked as if the fortunes of Joe Biden had stopped shining and the former Vice President was soon to hang up his presidential ambitions for a third time.

But then came South Carolina, where Biden trounced the competition.

And on the heels of that, Super Tuesday where in a major upset Joe Biden rolled to victory in several states with the support of large majorities of African-Americans, wining Texas, Virginia, North Carolina and at least six other states.

Convincing or swaying key demographics proved vital in last night’s success, and in America, race is a major metric that no one can ignore if they want to win at the ballot box. 

Traditionally, it has often been gender, wealth, urban, rural and even suburban soccer moms that were the key targets of focus for a candidate.

However, race is the most important demographic when it comes to elections, according to UC San Diego’s Zoltan Hajnal, an expert on the topic. In fact, in his latest book, Hajnal breaks down the myth that class or income is not the dominant factor in elections – it’s race.

If you are journalist looking to examine the role race will play in the DNC primaries, and the election in November, then let our experts help.

Zoltan Hajnal is a professor of political science at the University of California San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy. He is an expert specializing in the areas of racial and ethnic politics, urban politics, immigration and political behavior. Professor Hajnal is available to speak with media regarding this topic – simply click on his icon to arrange an interview.