Several Black candidates in Arizona who won or came close in state or local races attribute their success to a get-out-the-vote effort that also sparked record-high turnout by African Americans.
A collective of progressive community and advocacy organizations called Mi AZ Coalition made millions of phone calls, knocked on more than 1 million doors and sent more than 100,000 text messages. Democratic state Rep. Reginald Bolding says the national reckoning around police brutality and systemic racism also played a role in increasing turnout.
The Black lawmaker who won reelection cites early projections from Mi AZ Coalition that 60% of Arizona’s Black registered voters cast ballots this year. Black candidates also saw historic successes in neighboring New Mexico.
