Black Swing Voter Project

In American politics, “swing voters” are usually defined as white, working class voters in the Midwest and Rust Belt. By contrast, African Americans are treated as a monolithic constituency that the Democratic Party has “captured.” The Black Swing Voter Project (BSVP) aims to counter this narrative by shining new light on African Americans’ role as decisive “swing voters”—swinging from the Democrats to not voting, and therefore swinging the outcome of elections just as much as those white working class voters do. The BSVP pairs representative surveys with extended focus groups of battle-state Americans—especially those 18-30—to highlight the diversity of views within this community, catch trends, call out myths, and generally underscore the important role that this constituency plays in American politics. Learn more. Read topline results.

CCPS would like to extend its gratitude for the support of our partners at the Sine Institute of Policy & Politics led by Executive Director Amy K. Dacey. We are greatly appreciative of the work in helping to make the Black Swing Voter Project a success and look forward to a continued partnership.

The Principal Investigators of the BSVP are:

David C. Barker, Professor of Government and Director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies
Leonard Steinhorn, Professor of Communication and Affiliate Professor of History, CBS News political analyst
Sam Fulwood, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and Faculty Fellow at the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies

Other BSVP Research Associates include:

Jan Leighley, Professor, School of Public Affairs
Ray Block, Penn State University
Amy Dacey, Executive Director, Sine Institute of Policy & Politics
Marcus Johnson, AU Phd student in Government

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