New Jersey Black Republicans: Meet Andrew Parker III
Andrew Parker III believes that the Democratic Party’s policies have not led to meaningful improvement in Black communities over the last 60 years.
By Mark Tyler, Publisher of Atlantic City Focus, and
Lilo H. Stainton, Health Care Reporter, NJ Spotlight News
Atlantic County Commissioner Andrew Parker III was drawn to the Republican Party because of its emphasis on economic mobility, free-market principles, and individual responsibility.
He believes that the Democratic Party’s policies have not led to meaningful improvement in Black communities over the last 60 years.
“The Democratic Party has benefited from blind loyalty from the African American population at a plus 90% rate since the early 1960s, and the conditions in our communities have continually declined or, at best, remained stagnant,” said Parker.
More than 1.1 million New Jerseyans are Black, making up about 12% of the state’s population, according to data from the US Census Bureau.
In 2022, the bureau estimates that roughly 42% of Blacks who were eligible to vote cast ballots. That percentage is likely to be higher this year because more people tend to vote in presidential elections.
A 2014 report from the Pew Research Center estimated that only 5% of Blacks identified as Republican or leaning Republican at the time.
5% https://www.pewresearch.org/religious-landscape-study/database/state/new-jersey/party-affiliation/
Parker is not currently up for election.
For Parker, promoting private enterprise, lowering taxes, and reducing government intervention are key to economic prosperity for all Americans. Parker’s vision for the Black community includes a strong focus on entrepreneurship, fiscal conservatism, and less reliance on government programs.
“If we want to see an exponential change in our communities, it will not be following the blueprint set forth for us by the Democrat Party policies over the last 60 years,” Parker said.
He sees inflation, the cost of living, and economic equality as critical issues that the Republican Party is better suited to handle.
“The Republican Party's messaging around the American Dream, economic mobility, and opportunity resonates with my belief that hard work and individual effort should be the primary means of advancement,” Parker said.
His family’s strong conservative values played a role in shaping his political beliefs, despite the fact that many of his relatives still support the Democratic Party. For Parker, the path to change involves a focus on personal effort, rather than government handouts.
“As a Black Republican, I often promote a vision of participatory democracy that emphasizes economic self-sufficiency, civil rights, and civic engagement,” Parker said.
He also said, “I want to be clear: I became a Republican pre-President Trump and plan to be here post-President Trump. My loyalty lies in improving our communities and the lives of those who live and work in them.”
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