The new black power: the search for "one black leader" may be over as a new wave of political candidates takes the stage

From Maryland to Ohio, Pennsylvania to Tennessee, nearly a half-dozen Black political candidates are competing for some of the highest offices in the nation. If many of them win, the victories could mean a historical increase in African-American political might. If most of them lose, it could send a discouraging signal to Black America.

But even before the polls close on November 7, many observers and political pundits are declaring a win for Black America in the number, variety and the quality of candidates.

"Frankly, no matter what the election outcomes will be, it's a watershed moment," says Deval Patrick, Massachusetts Democratic gubernatorial candidate. "Because it means that some of us who have benefited from doors being opened to us are ready to step up and take our rightful place in the leadership of our communities, our states and our countries. And why shouldn't we? We've been well prepared."

Also angling for governor are two Black Republican candidates. In Pennsylvania the GOP's gubernatorial nominee is former Pittsburgh Steeler Lynn Swann; in Ohio, the two-term Secretary of State Ken Blackwell is running on the GOP ticket.

In what would have been a historic match-up, Maryland's Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, also a Republican, is running for the senate in Maryland. Another big name in Black politics, former Rep. Kweisi Mfume of Maryland, was vying for the Democratic nomination, but lost in the September primaries. This would have been the first time in U.S. history that two Blacks would have gone head-to-head for a senate seat.

Historically, top-tier state office has been an uphill climb for Black candidates. In 1990, L. Douglas Wilder of Virginia became the first Black governor elected by popular vote. [P.B.S. Pinchback of Louisiana became the first Black governor in 1872.]

If Rep. Harold Ford Jr. (D-Tenn.) wins his Senate race, he will be the first Black senator from the South since Reconstruction.

Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-III.), who himself may run for mayor of Chicago against incumbent Richard Daley, says Blacks are still underrepresented politically. "We still represent less than I percent of all elected officials nationally, and we still represent far substantially less than our numbers in terms of population at every level," he says. He says new young African-American politicians like Ford, Sen. Barack Obama and Newark Mayor Cory Booker "represent bright spots in that great struggle for equality and representation in our nation."

Whatever the eventual outcome, NAACP President & CEO Bruce Gordon agrees that the November elections are noteworthy for African-Americans. "It is a moment in history where the talents of our people are surfacing in a number of new venues and a number of new dimensions, and that's encouraging and says the skills and abilities that we as people always believed we had are being recognized, appreciated and supported," he says.

Political pundits and water cooler critics have centered on the fact that this year there are three viable Republican candidates who are African-American men. Swann says the GOP did not ask him to run, he made the decision independently. "I made the choice on my own," he says. "It is important that as African-Americans we don't just commit our vote to a historical perspective," he says. "And we as African-Americans are as diversified as any group, so why shouldn't our vote be on both sides of the aisle? I don't think we have real freedom unless we have real choices."

The Rev. Al Sharpton, founder of the National Action Network, says African-Americans must look beyond political labels. "It's not the label--it's the agenda," he says, adding, "I don't care if it is an elephant or a donkey--if it ain't gonna ride me, what difference does it make?"

Sharpton says when he was growing up there were many Black Republicans who were involved in the Black agenda. "To me, Black leadership ought to be like an eight-lane highway--we're all in different lanes, but we ought to be headed in the same direction. If somebody gets on the highway headed in a different direction, it's not that they are a different party, it's because they're headed in a different way."

Patrick says African-Americans don't have monolithic thought, so he isn't surprised that there are African-American candidates on both sides of the political aisle. "I do think that Democrats need to be clearer about our vision of government," he says. "I think that Democrats must grow a backbone and offer an alternative, positive vision of government, which is about helping people help themselves."

SCLC President Charles Steele Jr. says his organization's theme, "it's a new day and a new way," applies to new millennium politics. "We're not hung up on parties--historically one party has taken us for granted and the other party has just taken us," he says.