A key ally of the Congressional Black Caucus is launching a super PAC that will spend tens of millions of dollars to mobilize black voters and flip the House majority to Democrats, and elect the first black House speaker.
Niccara Campbell-Wallace, former political director of the Congressional Black Caucus PAC, will serve as executive director of the new organization, called the Rolling Sea Action Fund. It will be aligned, but not directly affiliated, with the all-Democratic Congressional Black Caucus, and the group will organize as a “hybrid PAC,” a designation that will allow Rolling Sea to raise money for candidates and have a separate account. raising unlimited sums to spend on advertisements and other election expenses.
Assuming Democrats hold a vacant Rhode Island seat in a special election in November, the party needs to flip just five seats in next year’s congressional elections to take control of the House. If they can do that, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, DN.Y., a former member of the leadership of the Congressional Black Caucushe would be in line to become the country’s first black House speaker.
Campbell-Wallace told NBC News the group is “confident” it will spend more than $10 million on a multi-pronged strategy by 2024, including advertising, in-person organizing and engagement in key communities. The group will “focus on districts that have more than 8% black voting-age population in the most competitive House seats.” But he also did not rule out the group playing in primary races.
“We know that black voters are the cornerstone of the Democratic Party and of protecting American democracy,” Campbell-Wallace said in an interview before the group’s launch. “This is going to be something where we always have an effort to empower and mobilize black voters, and make sure that we’re reflecting the diversity and wonder of America.”
“We recognize as Democrats that we can do more and supporting Black voters who have been the cornerstone of our democracy have overwhelmingly turned out in record numbers,” he added. “So this is more of a love letter, to make sure they understand that we’re here for them, we listen to their interests, and we want to make sure we’re really bringing them home.”
The Congressional Black Caucus’ membership includes a handful of newer members who have won close races in recent years, including Reps. Emilia Sykes of Ohio, Don Davis of North Carolina, Lauren Underwood of Illinois, Jahana Hayes of Connecticut, Lucy McBath from Georgia, Colin Allred from Texas and Steven Horsford from Nevada. Republicans have also made an effort to diversify their House slate, and their success in the 2020 House races was driven specifically by candidates of color and women.
Black voters still overwhelmingly push Democrat, with 2022 midterm exit polls showing 86% of black voters siding with Democrats. But polls have shown a clear decline in the party’s image over more than the last decade.
In the combined 2009 NBC News poll, 76% of black voters had a positive opinion of the Democratic Party, and only 7% had a negative opinion.
In this year’s April NBC News poll, 61% of registered black voters had a positive opinion of the Democratic Party and 15% had a negative opinion.
When asked about that trend, Campbell-Wallace said the group’s “always-on” approach can help keep black voters engaged. She specifically noted the efforts of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on unemployment, infrastructure and student loans, as well as what “representing Biden and Harris means to our communities.”
While Campbell-Wallace said the effort is “focused on getting the House back and getting to 218 [Democratic members] and appoint Hakeem Jeffries as a speaker,” mentioned the fact that there are no black women in the Senate and that members of the Congressional Black Caucus are running for higher office (notably California Rep. Barbara Lee, former CBC chair , is running for the Senate).
“We protect our own and we support our own,” Campbell-Wallace said.
Asked again if the group plans to take sides in the primary, Campbell-Wallace simply replied: “We’ll see.”
