> ...Partisan Voting
The Democratic share of the black vote in 2000 increased from its already
high level in 1996. Vice-
President Gore’s share of the black vote was 90 percent in 2000, up from
President Clinton’s 84 percent in
1996. Governor Bush’s eight percent of the black vote was less than
Senator Bob Dole’s 12 percent in
1996. Ralph Nader received one percent of the black vote, considerably
less than the four percent Ross
Perot received in 1996.
All segments among black voters gave Gore similar levels of support,
except when distinguished by
gender. Black women gave Gore a higher level of support (94 percent) than
black men (85 percent). Since
black women were also a larger share of the electorate (six percent) than
black men (four percent), their
greater support for Gore meant that their contribution to Gore’s total
vote (11.8 percent of the national
total) was significantly higher than black men’s contribution (7.1
percent) (see Table 3).
In the states where most African Americans live, Gore generally received a
higher percentage...