2014: A reminder of the lasting power of racial politics in America

It’s noteworthy that Republicans now have a diverse set of statewide elected officials in the South and elsewhere: an African American senator (Tim Scott of South Carolina); two Indian American governors (Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Nikki Haley of South Carolina); and two Hispanics (Susana Martinez of New Mexico and Brian Sandoval of Nevada).

It’s equally noteworthy the degree to which the Republican Party still struggles to expand its voter coalition to include more minorities. That Democrats still command 90 percent of the African American vote and that Mitt Romney won just 27 percent of the Hispanic vote in 2012 underscores the distance Republicans still must travel.

Today, the two major parties highlight the racial gaps that exist in society. Scott Clement of The Post’s polling unit looked at the racial makeup of the two political parties, based on surveys The Post conducted the past 15 months. In those polls, the percentage of self-identified Republicans who were white averaged 85 percent. Among Democrats, the average percentage of whites was 53 percent.