Will Kamala Harris Benefit From the Reverse-Bradley Effect?

Tom Bradley Looked Like a Sure Winner Until He Lost

William Spivey

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The United States Senate — Office of Senator Kamala Harris, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Tom Bradley of Los Angeles, nearing the end of his fifth term as mayor, decided to run for governor of America’s most populous state, California. Bradley was well-funded, and polls suggested he was on his way to an easy win. Bradley’s opponent, George Deukmejian, was of Armenian descent, which wasn’t always considered white in America. But when running against the Black candidate Bradley, he was white enough. Bradley lost the race and went back to serving as mayor for another ten years.

During the polling process, many white voters didn’t want to seem racist when answering questions about who they were voting for. They said they were voting for Bradley, but they just couldn't do it in the privacy of the voting booth. This phenomenon, which also affected Virginian Doug Wilder, is called the Bradley Effect. Some believe it ended when Barack Obama was elected president twice. Those same people thought America was then “post-racial,” so we know what their opinion is worth.

There is little cause for concern that the Bradley effect will impact Kamala Harris. The people who won’t vote for Harris because of her ethnicity or gender aren’t afraid to be thought racist. They wear that claim like a badge of honor. Voters…

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