Bradley Effect?

Hillary Clinton’s surprising victory in the New Hampshire primary yesterday has reawakened claims that the ‘Bradley Effect’ is still present in American politics.

The so-called Bradley Effect was named in reference to the 1982 gubernatorial campaign of Tom Bradley, the long time mayor of Los Angeles. Bradley, who was Black, was projected to win easily in all of the days leading up to the race. Nevertheless, he ended up losing by a slim margin to the Republican candidate.

After analyzing exit poll data from the race, it was found that white voters claimed in polls that they would vote for Bradley. However on election day these voters had significant difficulty casting votes for a black candidate, a fact referred to as “common knowledge” by numerous old black men.

“Look, man, don’t let them hand you no crap. When [white voters] go in that booth, they ain’t going to vote for you.” allegedly said a publisher and resident old black man who spoke those words to Colin Powell, when Powell was considering a presidential run himself.

In recent years, however, the Bradley Effect seemingly has been less of a factor in elections. It was speculated in 2006 that it would have a bearing on the Senate race of Harold Ford Jr., a black candidate in Tennessee, however exit poll data found no such case.

“It’s a different kind of racism up north, see. That’s that northern elitist racism. Down here they’ll just call you a (expletive) and be done with it, but up north they’ll pretend to like you, and call you a (expletive) with the vote” said a southern old black man who didn’t wish to be identified.

There is currently no evidence to suggest the Bradley Effect played a role in New Hampshire, however in light of the unanimous polling data which showed Obama ahead by double digits only a day before the election, many are suspicious. Countless black people across the nation are currently searching parlors, closets, and desk drawers for decks of playing cards – it may soon be time to dust off the trusty old race card.

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