Race and the Ideological Transformation of the Democratic Party: Evidence from the Bayou State

Authors

  • M. V. Hood

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15763/issn.2374-7781.2004.25.0.67-77

Abstract

There is little doubt that the Democratic Party in the South has become decidedly more liberal over the last several decades. Not as much is known, however, about the extent of this ideological shift (measured in some quantifiable metric), nor the exact causes of this phenomenon. Many have credited the noted ideological sea change with the en masse re-enfranchisement of blacks in the region. In order to test the validity of this claim, aggregate-level data from Louisiana were combined with individual-level survey data to create an ideological profile for the Democratic Party in the Bayou State. Decomposing the transformation by racial groups leads to a counterintuitive finding: over time, blacks have actually served as a moderating force within the party structure. In addition, the white contingent of the Democratic Party has become increasingly more liberal as the proportion of blacks within the party structure has increased.

References

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Published

2004-04-01

Issue

Vol. 25: Spring 2004

Section

Articles

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