Californians’ Vote to Reject Affirmative Action Exposes the Limits of Identity Politics
Tuesday’s elections should remind liberals of the limits of identity politics. Nationally, Joe Biden received a record number of votes, and California went Democratic by more than 20 points. At the same time, however, Proposition 16, a referendum on the Golden State ballot that sought to restore state-sanctioned race-based affirmative action went down to resounding defeat.
Continued Republican control of the Senate and the erosion of Nancy Pelosi’s margin in the House of Representatives appear likely. Meanwhile, Republican support among Blacks and Hispanics increased from four years ago. Against that backdrop, a Biden administration should think twice before it includes “equality of outcome” or racial preferences as part of its governing agenda.
In California, support for reintroducing state-sponsored affirmative action was an upstairs-downstairs affair led by Silicon Valley and the activist community. In other words, it lacked the support of the vital center.