On Sunday, the official Twitter account of the Republican Party tried to promote their "record number of Black Republicans running for office and winning at all levels."
Among local and federal offices the GOP bragged they have 40 Black candidates.
They posted:
"We currently have a record number of Black Republicans running for office and winning at all levels."
"Over 40 Black Republicans are running in GOP primaries for both local and federal office."
The GOP then added the hashtag:
"#BlackHistoryMonth"
But 40 out of around 7,500 positions (or about .5%) for just state and federal offices around the country is hardly worth bragging about. That percentage drops to .04% if you instead count all 90,000 or so local and municipal elections being held this year.
People were not having it.
Some pointed out that GOP-led voter suppression laws were disproportionately targeting Black voters.
Others pointed out the "party of Lincoln" didn't seem very well-versed in their own history.
After the Civil War, the Reconstruction South elected a number of Black Republicans.
The GOP's boast may be premature if the party's own voters don't actually support their Black candidates at the ballot box.
The upcoming 2022 primaries will be the first test.
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