Black Republicans torn over Trump as party leader

Nate Sanderson, a black Republican, says he can no longer support his party.

Sanderson, a former president of the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, made his comments in reaction to a 2005 recording released Friday of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump making crass comments about women. He said Trump is taking the Republican Party in the wrong direction, and it’s something he can’t support.

“He’s alienated every social group, ethnic group — I mean, you name it,” Sanderson said. “He’s practically offended every group, except white males. You pick a group, and he’s said something about it, even white females.

“I believe he has taken the party down a path that, if not quickly corrected, is going to do irreparable damage to the party,” he said.

Sanderson, who served as an infantry non-commissioned officer in the Army and retired in 1996 after 21 years, said he joined the Republican Party because of its conservative values but always votes according to his conscience.

“I parked my political vehicle in the Republican Party because of the values and principles that they once stood for,” Sanderson said.

He said he also thought it was important for the black community to be represented in both parties.

But now he’s looking for another political affiliation.

“I can no longer proudly say I’m a Republican,” he said. “I’m still a conservative, and I’m looking for a party that can represent my ideals and principles.”

Dr. Robert Wright, a Columbus businessman, joined the Republican Party in 1970 when he was running for the Columbus Council District 2 seat. He said former Mayor J.R. Allen had recruited him and several others to run that year as Republicans under the Consolidated Government.

“I think some people thought getting through the Democratic primary might have been difficult,” he said. “It was a way to get elected.”

Wright said he hasn’t been actively involved in the Republican Party for several years, other than as a voting citizen. So he doesn’t really know what’s happening with local black Republicans.

Wright said he doesn’t like what Trump has been saying about women, race and other issues, and he plans to vote according to his conscience. He voted for Barack Obama in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections, he said.

When asked if he’ll be voting for Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee, he said, “Let’s put it like this: I’m not satisfied with the way Trump comes across and his views as it relates to race and minorities. I think he’s very divisive, and I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.”

Wright said he’s a middle-of-the-road voter, but he can be liberal to moderate on some issues such as diversity and affirmative action. He said he would have preferred to see Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio or John Kasich win the nomination.

“I’m not a party activist like I used to be, because at some point and time some people move beyond that,” Wright said. “But I do vote, and I’ve always voted for who I thought was the best candidate, regardless of party.

“Most of my friends are Democrats, but I consider myself mostly a middle-of-the-roader,” he said. “I tend to lean toward Republicans. I have up to this point, and so we’ll see what happens.”

In February 2013, Stacey Jackson was the only Columbus Republican invited to a closed meeting with Reince Priebus, the national party chairman, to discuss 2014 and 2016 elections.

The meeting, held in Atlanta, was a significant moment for the black Columbus defense attorney, who remains an anomaly in the political landscape, where most blacks remain loyal to the Democratic party.

“The purpose is obviously to identify some ideas, and not only bridge the gap between the Republican Party and black Republicans, but to bridge the gap between the Republican Party and blacks, period,” Jackson told the Ledger-Enquirer at the time.

Now, almost four years later, the general election hasn’t gone quite as Jackson expected, he said Friday during another interview with the newspaper, prior to the release of the recording in question. He could not be reached for comment Saturday.

“Obviously, the race within the party has been a lot different than previous years when you have someone who hasn’t had the type of career in politics that you would expect from a presidential candidate,” Jackson said. “There were several individuals in the primary that would have made great presidential candidates, but Mr. Trump won out. ”

On Friday, Jackson wouldn’t say if he’s supporting Donald Trump, and he stopped short of addressing controversial comments the candidate has made about blacks, Hispanics, Muslims, immigrants, women and other groups. But he remains supportive of the Republican Party, he said.

“This is one of the most important presidential elections in recent history,” he said. “And the reason being, from a lawyer’s standpoint, is that the next president will be able to appoint ... the next Supreme Court justice, and that’s extremely important. So I feel, especially after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, that individuals who will be voting for our next president need to keep that in mind, because it could have a direct impact on our country, obviously, when you look at the fact that they had the vote when they approved gay marriage and things such as that.”

This story was originally published October 8, 2016 at 3:21 PM with the headline "Black Republicans torn over Trump as party leader."