Party Affiliation vs. Race in Washington D.C

[Yelnoc]

As we all know, Washington D.C is overwhelmingly black and overwhelmingly Democratic.  What if there was a race where the Republican candidate was black but the Democratic one was white?  They are both males and neither is a whackjob or has any built-in advantages over his opponent.  I don't want to get anymore specific than that because I want to look at overall trends rather than individual match-ups.

With that said, who would win the District of Columbia?  Would partisianship or racial affiliation triumph?

[nclib]

The Dem would win easily. Whites would be overwhelmingly Democratic (as they are in real life), and black Republicans don't win more than 25%-30% of the black vote anywhere, much less in DC.

[phk]

Dem

[Antonio the Sixth]

Dem

[Nichlemn]

It's a lot more Democratic than it is black. Black Republicans don't do a lot better either, as others have said. A Republican winning in DC would have to be a talented RINO (and I mean actual RINO) against a deeply flawed Democrat, regardless of race. Oh, and it would have to be a local election.

[Niemeyerite]

If the democrat isn't George Wallace, Zell Miller or someone like them.. Dem + 30

[Yelnoc]

Ok then, let's put faces to the races.  Clinton vs. Powell 1996.

[phk]

If the democrat isn't George Wallace, Zell Miller or someone like them.. Dem + 30

Zell Miller wins.

[RIP Robert H Bork]

So, you're asking if DC is more hackish, or racist.

The non-black residents are clearly the former and would still vote Democrat; blacks would also vote Democrat, with black Democratic leaders accusing the Republican of being an "Uncle Tom".

[ag]

Dem, of course. Though, if the Republican is liberal and makes a point of diassociating himself from the national party, he might get, say 30% of the vote against a mainstream white Dem. For the Republican to have a chance at winning, the Dem in question would have to be both a Dixiecrat and indicted for corruption - and even then he'dd be a favorite.

[Stranger in a strange land]

The dem would win. A black liberal Republican would probably gain more among DC whites (who are overwhelmingly liberal and voted 86% for Obama) than among blacks, but would still come up short.

[Nichlemn]

It's a lot more Democratic than it is black. Black Republicans don't do a lot better either, as others have said. A Republican winning in DC would have to be a talented RINO (and I mean actual RINO) against a deeply flawed Democrat, regardless of race. Oh, and it would have to be a local election.

For example, Carol Schwartz won 42% against Marion Berry in 1994, losing by "only" 14 points.

[Napoleon]

It's a lot more Democratic than it is black. Black Republicans don't do a lot better either, as others have said. A Republican winning in DC would have to be a talented RINO (and I mean actual RINO) against a deeply flawed Democrat, regardless of race. Oh, and it would have to be a local election.

For example, Carol Schwartz won 42% against Marion Berry in 1994, losing by "only" 14 points.

It's not every day you get to lose to a known crackhead by double-digits.

[Nichlemn]

It's a lot more Democratic than it is black. Black Republicans don't do a lot better either, as others have said. A Republican winning in DC would have to be a talented RINO (and I mean actual RINO) against a deeply flawed Democrat, regardless of race. Oh, and it would have to be a local election.

For example, Carol Schwartz won 42% against Marion Berry in 1994, losing by "only" 14 points.

It's not every day you get to lose to a known crackhead by double-digits.

Hence, "deeply flawed Democrat". Maybe if Berry was even more flawed (say, also convicted of corruption) and Schwartz was a celebrity, she could have won.