Legislative Life in the 1990s: A Comparison of Black and White State Legislators

Abstract

Although the number of black state legislators has increased dramatically in the last several decades, there is relatively little known about these important officeholders and how they compare to their white colleagues. Through a nationwide survey conducted in 1991-92, we gain some information on these legislators. The results depict some similarities among black and white legislators in terms of background characteristics and public policy concerns. The more obvious trends in the survey findings, however, are the many significant racial differences between these lawmakers, especially their perceptions of black legislative life and racial progress. While region, racial composition of district, party status, and gender serve to condition these racial disparities, significant differences in black-white legislative views remain. As more African Americans are elected to high state office, expectations that black officials may be able to address issues important to black (and perhaps other) citizens are raised. Following the 1994 elections, there were 529 black state legislators, more than three times as many as there were in 1969. The states, moreover, are the most fiscally healthy level of government, and this factor along with the increased devolution of power from Washington has propelled black state legislators to the forefront in terms of meeting minority needs. As important as black legislators are, surprisingly little is known about who they are, what they have accomplished, and what kinds of barriers they encounter. Even less is known about how they and their white colleagues view one another. Since African Americans are relatively new to most state legislatures, this lack of knowledge is not surprising. Yet it is important to know how white and black legislators work together, how their backgrounds compare, what their political ideologies and policy concerns are, and how white legislators perceive black officeholders' political actions. These racial comparisons are