Mo Cowan departure dwindles number of black senators

theGRIO REPORT - The number of African-American senators will soon drop by half...

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

The number of African-American senators will soon drop by half.

Mo Cowan, the Massachusetts Democrat who was appointed as the caretaker for the seat John Kerry left to ascend to Secretary of State, will soon be replaced by Edward Markey, who won a special election last week to become the permanent replacement for Kerry. Cowan, a longtime aide to Gov. Deval Patrick who had never served in political office himself, did not run for the seat.

Cowan and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) had made history by being appointed around the same time and becoming the first two African-Americans to ever serve in the United States Senate together. With Cowan’s departure, there will be zero black Democratic senators, even as African-Americans represent a growing part of the Democratic base. About 25 percent of the people who voted for Obama in 2012 were black. Scott is now the only black U.S. senator.

Scott is likely not to be the only black senator for a long, as Newark mayor Cory Booker is a heavy favorite to win an special election in October for a seat in New Jersey.

But the small number of black senators illustrates the challenge African-Americans have had in reaching higher offices. Despite President Obama’s quick rise, blacks have struggled to even be considered credible candidates for key offices like governor or senator.

There are few black Republicans in politics, and many Democrats represent majority-minority districts, pushing them toward the political left in a way that makes it challenging for them to win statewide races. (The Booker example here is telling, as he has been dogged by liberals suggesting he is too close to Wall Street, but such support makes it easier for him to raise money and win statewide.)

Only two African-Americans, Obama and Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, have won election to governor or senator in the last decade.

A number of figures who were once considered along with Obama as part of a rising group of black politicians, such as ex-Alabama congressman Artur Davis and ex-Tennessee congressman Harold Ford, have lost key races. Aside from Scott and Booker and a handful of others, there are only a few black candidates in the pipeline for key statewide offices.

Senator Scott and I are, respectively, the seventh and eighth black Senators to serve in this body.

“While I believe this number to be far too few, I am also hopeful that it is a sign that these United States will soon be represented by a more diverse population that more closely reflects the diverse country that we are, and the diversity of opinions that exist across and within our diverse nation, Cowan said in his “farewell address” on the Senate floor last week. “With different perspectives, different backgrounds, different races, religions, and creeds, we are better equipped to confront the issues that face our vast and changing nation.”

Follow Perry Bacon Jr. on Twitter at @perrybaconjr

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