FILE - U.S. Senate minority chief Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaks throughout a information convention on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 7, 2021. (AP Picture/Carolyn Kaster)
LOUISVILLE, KY. --
Senate Republican chief Mitch McConnell is drawing criticism for feedback he made shortly earlier than the GOP blocked a federal elections invoice, when he mentioned that “African American” voters forged ballots at related charges to “Individuals.”
The minority chief made the comment at a information convention in Washington on Wednesday, when he was requested about issues that individuals of shade have about voting rights.
“The priority is misplaced as a result of should you take a look at the statistics, African American voters are voting in simply as excessive a share as Individuals,” McConnell mentioned.
The remark implied that Black voters are by some means not American and underscored the issues of voting rights advocates that Republicans in state legislatures throughout the nation are explicitly looking for to disenfranchise Black voters. The timing was additionally notable, coming the identical day that McConnell engineered a filibuster to dam voting laws that Democrats and civil rights leaders say is important to defending democracy.
In follow-up remarks Thursday, McConnell mentioned: “I've persistently pointed to the record-high turnout for all voters within the 2020 election, together with African Individuals.”
Again dwelling in Kentucky, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Charles Booker tweeted, “Being Black would not make you much less of an American, it doesn't matter what this craven man thinks.” Booker, who's Black, unsuccessfully ran for McConnell's seat in 2020 and is difficult GOP Sen. Rand Paul this 12 months.
“Hey ↕LeaderMcConnell,” tweeted Democratic Nationwide Committee Chair Jaime Harrison, who's Black, “...to your data, I am additionally an American!”
McConnell's supporters referred to as it an unfair assault, saying he merely not noted a phrase and meant to say that Black folks vote at related charges to “all” Individuals. Black voters do forged ballots at about the identical fee as all voters, falling in between Latinos, who're much less prone to go to the polls than African Individuals, and whites, who usually tend to go to the polls.
In 2016 and 2020, white voters turned out at larger charges than Black voters, in accordance with the U.S. Census Bureau. The census exhibits that 71% of eligible white voters forged a poll in 2020, in contrast with 63% of eligible African Individuals. In 2016, 65% of white voters forged a poll, versus 60% of Black voters.
Scott Jennings, a former adviser to President George W. Bush who has shut ties to McConnell, mentioned assaults on the senator's remarks had been “ridiculous.”
“McConnell was clearly stating that African American voting charges are just like your entire voters as a complete, to level out how straightforward and truthful our system of voting is for everybody,” he mentioned.
Kentucky Legal professional Basic Daniel Cameron, who's Black, additionally got here to the senator's protection, saying the “fake outrage” over McConnell's remarks was “absurd.” Cameron, a Republican, is McConnell's former authorized counsel. Cameron additionally mentioned that McConnell was “making some extent that Black voting charges are just like your entire voters as a complete.”
Two Democratic senators joined all 50 Republicans in refusing to vary Senate guidelines to beat the GOP filibuster on Wednesday. Democrats couldn't persuade holdout Sens. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia to vary Senate procedures on that invoice and permit a easy majority to advance it.
Sadiqa Reynolds, president and CEO of the Louisville City League in Kentucky, mentioned McConnell's feedback had been notably irritating to listen to after the voting laws failed within the Senate.
Reynolds, who's Black, mentioned the shortage of assist for the laws from McConnell and different lawmakers confirmed African Individuals that they're “nonetheless not seen as Individuals worthy of getting our voice heard on the poll field.”
“Our patriotism, our residents standing, ought to by no means be questioned,” Reynolds mentioned. “... And we're owed an apology, not only for Freudian slips, however for failures to honor the function that we have now performed in constructing this nice nation.”
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Related Press writers Piper Hudspeth Blackburn in Louisville, Ky., and Nicholas Riccardi in Denver contributed to this report.
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