Rep. Richard Hudson, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, recently listed for reporters a slew of candidates that he described as fitting the “formula” for the GOP expanding their ranks in November.
There was Prasanth Reddy, a cancer doctor who immigrated to the U.S. from India and joined the military after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He’s running for a congressional seat in northeast Kansas. Then there was Alison Esposito, a gay former police detective running for a seat in New York.
Another example Hudson cited was George Logan, whose parents came to the U.S. from Guatemala and is running for a seat in Connecticut. Also, there’s Kevin Lincoln, an African-American and Hispanic mayor in Stockton, Calif., and Mayra Flores, who is making another run. She made history by becoming the first Mexican-born congresswoman, but she subsequently lost in the 2022 mid-terms.
I understand that from a party perspective, it helps the “I’m not racist I have black friends” narrative.
But from the black friend’s perspective I’m not sure I get it. Is Doctor Reddy trying to “change things from the inside”? Does he see a demand that he can exploit to get visibility and votes? Does he align so strongly with Republican views on, say, economics that he’s willing to overlook the views on diversity programs?
Minorities aren’t monoliths. Dr Reddy may very well think that diversity programs hurt minorities. He may think racism is personal and not systemic, after all he’s a doctor. I’ve definitely seen black people who resent that they’re expected to vote democrat because of their race and ignore why.