Friday, October 16, 2015

Jason Riley — Making the Republican Case for Black Support

Former Congressman Gary Franks has some advice for the GOP on black outreach post-Obama.

Gary Franks in 1993, when he was a Republican U.S. congressman from Connecticut. Photo: Associated Press


The Wall Street Journal:

While Republicans are busy deciding who will represent the party in next year’s presidential election, Gary Franks is contemplating how the eventual nominee could do a better job of attracting black support.

If his name sounds familiar, Mr. Franks is a former congressman from Connecticut and a bona fide racial pioneer. Upon winning his House seat in 1990, the Waterbury native became the first black Republican in Congress in nearly six decades and the only one ever elected from Connecticut. Over the next six years, Mr. Franks fought for welfare reform, backed lower tax rates, opposed the racial gerrymandering of voting districts and tested the tolerance of Congressional Black Caucus progressives.

Read the full article HERE.