Black Victories Signal Move Across Racial, Ethnic Lines

Blacks hold only about 2 percent of all the elected offices in the United States. So key victories yesterday by Blacks in New York City, Seattle and possibly Virginia will prove a major boost in the numbers of important African-American officeholders nationwide.

For the first time in U.S. history, a Black--Lieutenant Governor L. Douglas Wilder--seemed likely to win a race for governor. And, also for the first time, New Yorkers tapped a Black--David N. Dinkins--for the chief executive office of the largest city in the nation.

Other notable victories yesterday included the election of first-time Black mayors in Seattle and New Haven, alsomajority-white cities.

"November 7th, 1989 is a day that will live inhistory," said Dinkins, who claimed victory at 1a.m. this morning before a diverse crowd ofsupporters. Wilder also claimed victory lastnight, although he led by a slim, 4500-vote marginat press time.

But political pundits and academics agree thatthe signficance of last night's wins for Blackpoliticians goes beyond the symbolism associatedwith such "firsts."

Rather, they say the real impact of theseelections lies in the almost unprecedented abilityof Wilder and Dinkins to win by appealing to whiteand Hispanic voters.

"It's a new epic from now on," said ThompsonProfessor of Government Martin L. Kilson, Jr, anexpert on race and ethnicity in American politics."In the last 20 years of increasing Blackpolitical inclusion, these are the first up-front,trans-racial politicians to win big."

And the lessons of these campaigns, expertsbelieve, will influence the message of Blackpolitics well into the 1990s.

Says Graduate School of Education ProfessorNathan Glazer, "It is a breakthrough. It certainlymeans that a Black candidate who wants to reachout to a white electorate and win can do that."

The importance of yesterday's voting wasperhaps best illustrated by the contrast betweenDinkins' and Wilder's narrow victories in theirraces and the ease with which Detroit MayorColeman Young won election to a fifth term in themajority-Black city.

Dinkins, who reaped 51 percent of the vote withmore than 90 percent of the precincts reporting,gathered about 30 percent of the white vote andabout 80 percent of the Hispanic vote, accordingto network exit polls.

And those numbers were essential to his narrowvictory over Republican Rudolph Giuliani, a formerdistrict attorney who ran on a law-and-orderplatform.

Wilder, too, had to gain "30 to 40 percent ofthe white vote" in order to win, according Glazerand other political observers.

Young, on the other hand, could depend on thesolid support of a city that is predominantlyBlack--a factor that has long been the predominantcharacteristic of most successful campaigns byBlacks.

"It's coming, grudgingly, but it's coming,"said Kilson. "These two victories [Dinkins andWilder] represent a steady move from Blacks'natural constituency to the politics ofinclusion."

And Pforzheimer University Professor SidneyVerba '53, an expert on American politicaldemocracy, agreed. "The elections send a veryimportant signal, I suppose, about the openness ofelectoral politics," he said.

Characterizing Wilder's likely win in Virginiaas an example of the "mainstreaming" of Blackpoliticians, Verba said yesterday's results mightherald a new type of campaign for Blacks who seekoffice in the U.S.AP Wire PhotoLt. Gov. L. DOUGLAS WILDER of Virginiaindicates where he thinks he'll finish aftervoting his state's gubernatorial electionyesterday. With most of the precincts reporting,Wilder, a Democrat, held a slim lead over hisRepublican opponent early this morning.