PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Black voters strongly support Democratic candidates.
In the 2020 presidential election, Blacks voted for Joe Biden over Donald Trump by 75 points (87%-12%) according to exit polls.
But while Black voters may vote predominantly Democratic, that doesn’t mean that they’re all liberal. A Pew Recent Center survey from January, 2020 found that a quarter of Black Democrats identify as conservative and 43 percent identify as moderate.
What You Need To Know
- Blexit, or “Black exit,” is a movement led by political conservatives to get Black voters to move away from the Democratic Party
- The movement is relatively new but has chapters in 39 states now
- Among those who spoke at the event was St. Petersburg mayoral candidate Robert Blackmon
Enter “Blexit,” or “Black exit,” a movement motivated by conservatives to encourage people of color to leave the political left, or ““change the narrative” surrounding America’s minority communities, according to the Blexit Foundation’s website.
A “727 Blexit Block Party” took place late Monday afternoon in Childs Park in South St. Petersburg, with around 150 to 200 people in attendance.
Among the speakers was St. Petersburg mayoral candidate Robert Blackmon. Blackmon addressed the audience by saying that the news that he would be appearing at the event had created a “firestorm” of reaction, which he said had “confused” and “hurt” him.
“I’ve spoken at any event and any group whose asked me,” he said. “And the point is, I’ve respected everybody, but when it’s announced that I’m speaking at an event like this, it’s the end of the world, and that’s not the kind of nation we should have.”
Blackmon’s mayoral opponent, Ken Welch, appeared earlier in the day at an event distributing Thanksgiving turkeys with former NBA great Magic Johnson at Tropicana Field.
Blexit organizers emphasized in interviews before the event began that their organization is about empowering and improving the lives of African-Americans, more than it is advocating about who they should vote for.
“I would like to see our community put some more thought and emphasis into how they vote. Because I think that’s the issue,” says Tania Gorman, the Florida state director for Blexit. ”It’s not about just choosing one side or the other. I want them to actually think and critically think (about) what they’re voting for.”
“It’s something different. It’s an idea,” says Renata DaSilva, the corporate trainer for Blexit. “It’s a movement of giving people a space, a platform to be themselves. We don’t want people to change who they are. We just want them to think.”
It should be noted that there were many more people linked to the Republican Party and conservative causes than folks from the predominantly African-American community around at the event. Among those in attendance were a host of GOP candidates, including Anna Paulina Luna (who was one of the organizers) and Christine Quinn who are running in the Congressional District 13 contest. St. Pete City Council candidate Tom Mullins and state House candidates Berny Jacques and Jason Holloway were also seen in the crowd.