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Black Republicans Urge New Voter Habits
Brian Nosek, a psychology professor at the University of Virginia, said subconscious stereotypes whites have about blacks may not play as big a role in a campaign where the black candidate is a Republican.
"When you see a black Republican, you think, 'This is not normal for what I know black people are like. What I think they're like.' So people might perceive race quite differently here and see Michael Steele as quite different," Nosek said.
  Maryland Lt. Gov. and Republican nominee for Senate, Michael Steele, second from right, speaks to reporters after being endorsed by a group of city mayors and other city officials at a conference of city governments in Annapolis, Md. in this Oct. 20, 2006 file photo. Steele is running against Rep. Ben Cardin D-Md., for the senate seat. (AP Photo/Chris Gardner, file) (Chris Gardner - AP) 
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One voter said race means little in the selection of the next senator.
"Race doesn't matter," said Lane Cole of Queenstown, a city employee who is a registered Democrat but typically votes Republican. "Those days should be gone. We've all come a long ways since the '50s."
Cole added, "Anybody who brings that up is trying to start trouble."
Steele and Cardin barely discussed race at their most recent debate Wednesday, but it has been a presence throughout the contest.
At their first debate, Steele accused Cardin of "race-baiting," though he didn't elaborate. Cardin has said race is not an issue, arguing that he disagrees with Steele's politics. Steele also has accused Democrats _ but not Cardin himself _ of calling Steele an Uncle Tom.
Earlier this month, the state GOP decried as "racist" a remark by a white Democrat, Rep. Steny Hoyer, who said Steele "slavishly" supports the Republican Party. Hoyer later apologized for using the word.
On the Eastern Shore, Centreville resident Sharon Cook said she believed few in the Republican Party would vote against Steele because he's black. Steele overwhelmingly won the party nomination in the September primaries, though he had no serious opposition. Cardin narrowly defeated former congressman and NAACP President Kweisi Mfume as he won the Democratic nomination.
"Race does not matter to me," said Cook, who is white and planned to vote for Steele. "I've listened to what he has to say, and I think that it is definitely time we had a diversified delegation."
Caliendo said that despite the attention on black Democrats in the race, Steele may not do as well with white Republicans as some think.
"Research shows that overall, white people don't like to vote for black candidates," he said.
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Michael Steele: http:/
Ben Cardin: http:/
Caliendo's race in politics blog: http:/
