Good Candidates

The Washington Post runs an article on three Republican candidates who happen to be black.  J. Kenneth Blackwell for Governor in Ohio, Michael S. Steele for Senator in Maryland and Lynn Swann for Governor in Pennsylvania. The article mostly talks about the first two.

I think it's a good thing for the Republicans to run good candidates, regardless of race. These three all appear to fit the bill. One thing in the article bugs me, though. The reporter mentions that Steele, in a campaign appearance, didn't stress he was a Republican.

Steele is generally cautious with his references to the Republican Party, although he says that is because most people know his political affiliation. When he announced his candidacy before a boisterous crowd in Prince George's County, the nation's most affluent majority-black suburb, he did not once mention his GOP affiliation. Instead, he described himself as a "bridge" between the parties.

This is different how? Candidates almost never put their party affiliation on campaign posters or in their other advertising. That's completely normal in almost all levels except the Presidential campaigns – and it's not even always in evidence there. It's also good politics not to stress party affiliation over the candidate himself. The hardcore party partisans know who their candidate is and don't need to be reminded. The independents tend to vote the person, not the party.