Alabama Senator-elect Doug Jones has picked a Black ex-Obama official to be his chief of staff.
Dana Gresham, who worked in the Obama administration as assistant secretary for government affairs in the Department of Transportation, is now the only African-American serving as chief of staff to a Democratic senator.
Republican Senators Tim Scott, of South Carolina, and Jerry Moran, of Kansas, both have Black chiefs of staff.
Jones owes Black people
Jones, who defeated his Republican opponent, Roy Moore, in a tight special election, saw massive support in the Black community.
According to CNN, Black voters showed up for Jones in greater numbers than ever before, making up 30 percent of the electorate. For comparison, that’s higher than the numbers for the 2008 and 2012 elections of Barack Obama.
Ninety-six percent of Black voters backed Jones, while Moore saw decreased turnout in more conservative voting blocs and areas.
In comparison, Moore won 68 percent of white voters, including 80 percent of non-college-educated white men. The lowest percentage of white support was 52 percent of college-educated white women.
That’s still a better margin than most elections in Alabama, where white voters can be counted on to support Republican candidates in more overwhelming numbers, but it doesn’t change the fact that over half of all white people in every demographic voted for an accused child molester who thinks America was great during the era of slavery.
But there is one area that Jones swept: mothers with children at home. This group supported Jones over Moore 66 percent to 32 percent.
Additionally, young people supported Jones over Moore, with both the 18-29 and 30-44 age brackets pulling in for Jones at 60 percent.
Jones built a coalition of young and minority voters in a state that has been traditionally red for decades. But make no mistake: it was Black voters that made the difference, especially in urban centers of Birmingham, Montgomery and Mobile.
And now, with this chief of staff appointment, hopefully Jones is showing the community that he knows who he has to thank.