2004 In addition to the Presidential election won by George W Bush, there were elections for the US House of Representatives and Senate. The results of these elections tell us a great deal about the political attitudes of American citizens.

Congress 2004 There were 42 African Americans returned to the House of Representatives There were 24 Hispanics returned to the House of Representatives

The Senate The Senate has only had 5 African American members to date The Senate is still dominated by white middle class businessmen.

Voting Patterns in 2004 The turnout was higher for Blacks at this election than ever before This could be down to the 2000 fiasco or it may be down to the redistricting or gerrymandering

Voting patterns 2004 Studies have shown that where a minority candidate has a stronger chance of winning turnout is higher There is a possibility that the Unity 04 campaign helped in some way to persuade African Americans to register to vote.

How did they vote? In 2004, 44% of Hispanics voted Republican, up from 35% in While only 11% of African Americans voted Republican, this is up 2%. Why so few Hispanics? There are several reasons for this.

Hispanics voting analysed Hispanics are a much more fluid group and are more likely to vote Republican than African Americans The Hispanics vary greatly depending on where in South and Central America they originate from Not a homogeneous group

Hispanics voting analysed Cubans in Miami are pretty prosperous and have little in common with the minimum wage earner George W Bush also capitalised on a claim to having Hispanic blood, a good ploy to win over the growing Hispanic electorate

Hispanic Voting analysed The Republicans have also been shrewd enough to go after the Hispanic vote through promises of amnesty for illegal immigrants (a long way off Proposition 187)

Hispanic Voting analysed The Hispanics do not have the same history as Black Americans and therefore do not hold the same bitterness of the slave trade legacy and the general hostility shown to Blacks for decades. The “them and us” attitude does not exist to nearly the same degree

Hispanic Voting Analysed The Hispanic communities tend to be more right wing and conservative, perhaps as a result of their Catholicism

Middle class Blacks There are approximately 10% of African American who favour the Republicans. Their lifestyles are far removed from the ghetto gangster and they aspire to the values of the Republicans and the middle class whites

Target Groups The Republicans do not try too hard to win favour with the Blacks as they realise that the turnout is fairly low and they are a small enough sector of the population. The Hispanics on the other hand are a group who are not only growing but who are also becoming more valuable, after all only 55% gave Kerry their vote in 2004.

Target Groups The Republicans remain the party for the white middle classes, despite the high profile of Condi Rice and Colin Powell