‘Fear of a Black Republican' explores GOP's complicated relationship with African-American voters

SOME YEARS ago, New Jersey resident Kevin J. Williams asked local party officials for presidential campaign material to distribute in his neighborhood. The material was cheap and widely available, but party officials said no. Why? Well, it has something to do with race — Williams is white, he's Republican; his Trenton neighbors are mostly black, mostly Democrat, and the campaign material touted candidate George W. Bush. Party officials considered it not only a waste of time, but possibly inflammatory — a "riled-up" Trenton electorate might turn out to vote Democratic — out of spite.