Ms. Taylor said she saw no reason to change her rating of the race from “likely Democrat.”
For Black women, Ms. Alsobrooks’s victory over an affluent male candidate with the backing of much of the House Democratic leadership was particularly gratifying, said Donna Brazile, who became the first Black woman to manage a presidential campaign in 2000, when she led Al Gore’s effort. Ms. Alsobrooks was an intern for Ms. Brazile when she was chief of staff to the District of Columbia’s House delegate, Eleanor Holmes Norton.
When Ms. Alsobrooks announced her candidacy a year ago, Ms. Brazile, Ms. Lewis and other Black women got together to brainstorm on the campaign. Not only do Black female candidates face questions about their ability to raise enough money, but there are also broader issues of “cultural acceptance” that they must clear, Ms. Moseley Braun said.
But Ms. Alsobrooks’s run was coming on the heels of 2022, when the state overwhelmingly elected Mr. Moore, its first Black governor, Ms. Brazile noted, and at a time when Black and female political organizations are becoming more adept at fund-raising and more seasoned, Ms. Brazile said.
“The road to Black participation started with winning the right to vote,” she said. “The second stage was convincing Black voters to register. The third was preparing them to serve.”
“It takes time,” she said.
Ms. Lee said Ms. Alsobrooks, Ms. Rochester and she had done fund-raisers for one another, supported one another’s campaigns and tried to get as many Black women across the finish line as possible. Ms. Lee did not make it, but she said she was thrilled that the others still might.
“So much of what we fought for, so many struggles that Black women have had, not just now but over the years: This is a breakthrough,” she said. “The gravity of this moment can’t be overstated.”
Source Agencies
