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Politics: It's Not About Race Or Gender, It's About Leadership Ability!
by Jane E. Smith, Ph.D.
June 1, 2008
I
n the April 2008
Atlanta Woman magazine's editor's letter, Mary Welch raised a very interesting point
regarding whether or not "people even know why they are voting for a candidate other than by race
or gender." Based on the nature of this historic presidential race, which pits a woman against an
African-American, her point is not without merit.
In an effort to explore the political interests and mindsets of minority female Democrats,
the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement at Spelman College commissioned a nationwide survey
to address this perceived dilemma of race versus gender.
What our survey
revealed is that, contrary to sensational headlines, this is not an elephant in the room for
minority women. Respondents were very clear as to why they are supporting one candidate over the
other – leadership ability.
In fact, less than 10 percent of the 905 African-American, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander
and Native American female Democrats admit that race (2.7 percent) or gender (6 percent) play a
role in their support of Hillary Clinton or Barak Obama. Nine out of 10 said the primary motivator
for their selection of one candidate over the other is leadership
ability.
With the focus on leadership, where it should be, the question then becomes – what
leadership abilities are most desired in the next presidential candidate? The majority of survey
respondents (19 percent) said integrity is the most important leadership
characteristic.
Given the war in Iraq, the state of the economy and the state of health care, minority women
are saying they want a leader whose actions are truly guided by the principles and values he or she
believes in, not by politics as usual.
Caroline Kennedy echoed this sentiment in an op-ed article (A President Like My Father) for
The New York Times to announce her support for Obama. She wrote, "the candidates' goals are similar
... so qualities of leadership, character and judgment play a larger role than
usual."
The second most desired leadership characteristic was the ability to influence change
(nearly 15 percent).
Rounding out the top three was experience (13 percent). In a 60-second ad for Clinton,
award-winning poet Maya Angelou said "... the challenges facing us threaten the dreams we have had
for our children. We need a president with the experience and strength to meet those
challenges."
When looking at the leadership abilities of the candidates individually, Clinton supporters
(51 percent) cite her experience as their primary reason for voting for her, while Obama supporters
say he is the one who best represents change (21 percent).
When asked to describe their personal motivations for voting for a specific candidate, a
breakout of the survey results revealed:
• Obama supporters believe he understands the issues (13.4 percent) more than Clinton
supporters believe she does (9.4 percent).
• More Clinton supporters (6.5 percent) believe she better understands the challenges and
experiences of women compared with Obama supporters (.9 percent);
• More Obama supporters believe he will address the concerns of all people (11.6 percent
compared with 5.8 percent for Clinton).
• Obama supporters (9.4 percent) are more likely than Clinton supporters (1.8 percent) to
believe their candidate "will make America better."
• Obama supporters (4.7 percent) say he has a better chance of winning the presidential
election compared with the number of Clinton supporters (3.8 percent) who believe she can
win.
It's overwhelming at times to think that an African-American or a woman might become the
next commander in chief of the world's most powerful nation. Many are still in awe of this historic
moment. But at the end of the day, as our survey pointed out, it is about appointing the right
person for the job and that vote of confidence must be based on leadership ability.
Dr. Jane E. Smith is the executive director of LEADS at Spelman College, which builds on the
legacy of the private historically black institution by creating and teaching a leadership model
based on the historic influences, experiences and achievements of black women worldwide.
