2
Party identification is a psychological attachment toward a political party. Scholars have
estimated party identification and its effects on turnout, voting behavior, presidential approval,
and issue positions (Abramson and Ostrom, Jr. 1991; Miller and Shanks 1996). These studies
focused on the party identification of whites. Much attention has been given to studying the party
identification of whites, but in comparison, not much analysis has been given to understanding
Black party identification and partisanship. This scholarship seeks to fill that void. The purpose
of this research is to estimate Black party identification. It examines the effects of perceived party
competence on the decision Blacks make in partnering with the Democratic or Republican parties.
To be sure, Black Americans identify themselves chiefly with the Democratic Party.
Electorally, Blacks have been an important partner of the Democratic Party coalition since 1936,
but especially since 1960 (Pinderhughes 1986; Walters 1988; Tate 1993; Dawson 1994),
becoming the party’s most reliable and one of its largest and the most loyal supporters (Tate
1993). On one hand, since the 1960s, the Democratic Party has become known as the party of
racial liberalism, equality, and defender of the have-nots(Carmines and Stimson 1989). On the
other hand, the Republican Party became increasingly conservative on the issue of race, and not
favorable to Blacks (Walton 1985).
[Table 1 about here]
According to the 1996 National Black Election Study, Black Americans still identify
themselves predominantly with the Democratic Party. In this survey, 583 (48%) of the 1,216
Black respondents are strong Democrats, 236 (19%) are weak Democrats, and 183 (15%) of the
Black respondents identify themselves as independents lean toward the Democratic Party. These
numbers overwhelm the numbers of Blacks who identify themselves as Independents (N = 83,
Convention