Black delegates down sharply since 2004, think tank reports

0 Comments | USA TODAY, September, 2008 | by Jill Lawrence

ST. PAUL -- There are 36 black delegates at the Republican convention here -- fewer than 2% of the total and a sharp drop-off from 2004, a think tank reports.

The GOP record was set with 6.7% black delegates in 2004.

The Democratic Party, which has targets for minority representation, said a record 24.5% of delegates at its convention last week were black. That's about twice the percentage of blacks in the U.S. population, according to the Census Bureau.

Joanna Burgos, a spokeswoman for the GOP convention, said 13% of delegates this year are minorities. She said that's double the total in 1996, and "we look forward to continuing and expanding these relationships."

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, which specializes in...