ABSTRACT
Race plays an undeniably important role in electoral politics in the United States. Scholars have paid particular attention to how White voters respond to candidates viewed as sympathetic to the interests of African Americans. Most of this work rests on Key’s (1949) seminal statement about the perceived threat that southern Whites might feel in response to living in places with relatively large Black populations. Key’s racial threat hypothesis (see also Blalock 1967) predicted that Whites would show greater support for candidates perceived as hostile to Black interests as the Black population density increased in their surrounding area. This prediction assumes that: (a) Whites have political interests that differ from Blacks, (b) Whites should be expected to reject candidates who do not represent their unique interests, and (c) larger Black populations represent a political/electoral threat to what would otherwise be White dominance of local politics. Taken together, these factors create the imperative among White voters to work against candidates who might support Black interests. Of course, Key’s original idea rested on more than just perceived difference in political interests—it rested on White racism.
