Texas 12th: Meet James White, a Conservative Black Republican
By Rod Pennington
In many ways James White is the typical Republican. Running for the Texas Statehouse from rural East Texas, he is a fiscal conservative and has strong religious beliefs. He is pro-life and pro-gun. He has the backing of the Tea Party. White chafes at the tax burden and regulations coming from both Austin and Washington. The only thing that makes him different is the color of his skin. James White is the rarest of rarities, an African-American Republican.
James White Republican candidate for the Texas Statehouse
As a high school history teacher James White likes to sprinkle in comparisons to the American Revolution and what is happening today. But as a preacher’s son, he will frequently turn to the Bible. On his stump speech He likes to quote Isaiah 6:8 “Who will go for us? I said, Here I am. Send me.”
His voice raising and with the heads nodding in the mostly White crowd he hits his full stride, “Isaiah said, here I am. He didn’t take a poll. He didn’t start out with a financial campaign war chest. He didn’t go out and find out how many friends he had. He said here I am. That is what East Texans are looking for from the Republican Party.” During the applause you can hear a few whispered “amens”.
Running against a six term State Rep. Jim McReynolds, White faces an uphill battle but he refuses to go negative. “The incumbent is a good guy,” White states flatly. “He’s a veteran and I’m a veteran. He’s an educator and I’m an educator.” Though they are similar in many ways, White believes he has a better vision for the future than McReynolds. “It is about posterity… It’s about those 80 kids I stand in front of every day. It’s about your grandkids…it’s about your children’s children. That is what this is about.”
So far James White is running a smart race. He is working within the system and making all the right connections. Being a rural Texas contest for a state office there is no credible polling to indicate a trend. But, even if he loses, he has not hurt his future with the GOP. If he should pull off the upset and win his political career will skyrocket.
Since the 1960s, African-Americans have been the Democrats most loyal voting bloc giving over 90%+ of their votes to anyone with a “D” after their name. In the Black community anyone who rocks the boat by being a conservative or a Republican is disparaged. If you find that hard to believe, spend a few minutes with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
Republicans are hoping that James White is a part of the new vanguard of Black politicians. In the South Carolina First Congressional District, Tim Scott, a devout, Black conservative is expected to easily win. The SC 1st encompasses all of Charleston, including Ft. Sumter; the place where the Civil War started. If he wins, Scott will be the only Black Republican in either house of the US Congress. Could James White be far behind?
There is no telling how high James White will fly. If his career soars like his rhetoric then there are no limits.
“The time for political calculation, procrastination, and stagnation has yielded to the fierce urgency of now. The 21st century presents a new set of challenges,” White said. “This demands a new generation of leadership, accountable for its actions, possessed with boldness, armed with common sense, and tempered with humility, to step forward and seize the mantle of responsibility and answer the call to service.”
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Posted by Rod Pennington
on Jul 16 2010. Filed under Featured Stories.
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