Black Republican leaders at RNC try to make inroads with African American voters

MILWAUKEE — After watching African American voters routinely support their opponents for generations, Black Republican leaders gathering this week in Milwaukee for the GOP’s national convention said they are beginning to see cracks in the Democratic dominance. One group trying to drive the wedge politically is being led by Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, who two years ago unsuccessfully ran to be the Republican Party nominee for governor. On Tuesday, Irvin, who is chairman of the Black Republican Mayors Association, huddled in Milwaukee with GOP mayors, delegates and members of Congress from across the nation to discuss how best to attract Black voters to vote for Republican candidates. “We give a conservative voice to Black voters across the country,” Irvin said. “The Black vote is how (President) Joe Biden eked out his win four years ago and so if that same Black vote decides that Biden hasn’t done what they need to uplift the Black community, that vote goes somewhere else. Guess what? The other team is going to win.” Richard Irvin, mayor of Aurora and chairman of the Black Republican Mayors Association, addresses a gathering of Republican delegates, alternates and guests from across the country in Milwaukee on Day 2...