As election approaches, candidates vie for black vote

Black clergy and leaders are still hesitant to lend their support to either.
CLEVELAND (AP)-- Two weeks after winning the Democratic nomination for governor, U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland met with stern-faced clergy from predominantly black congregations in a tense, closed-door session.
The meeting had no trappings of a victory celebration, nor any hint of being a rally, even though this city is a Democratic stronghold. The ministers said they quizzed the candidate about the racial makeup of his congressional staff and visions for how he would help heal financially ailing cities.
Republican nominee Ken Blackwell, Ohio's secretary of state, encountered similar scrutiny before the May 2 primary, even though he is seeking to become Ohio's first black governor.
Both candidates say that neither can count on or write off inner-city votes, and officials at both national political parties are watching closely to see how much of a role race plays in the bellwether state ahead of the 2008 presidential contest.
Urban communities tend to strongly favor Democrats, but Strickland's traditional base is rural. Black communities may be thrilled with a black candidate, but Blackwell offers a conservative Republican viewpoint that traditionally translates better in suburbia or Ohio farmland.
"It's a good year for people to hold the candidates' feet to the fire," said the Rev C. Jay Matthews, pastor of Mount Sinai Baptist Church and leader of the clergy coalition United Pastors In Mission. "Either candidate is going to have to vie for the votes."
Governor's race
Ohio, the state that returned President Bush to the White House two years ago, is electing a new governor as investment and lobbying scandals harass Republicans at the state and national levels. Democrats see the troubles as a byproduct of one-party rule and a chance to recapture state control after more than a decade on the outside.
After the meeting with the clergy, Strickland said he would develop partnerships with mayors to develop strategies suitable to each city. He said he was still developing specifics.
"I'm talking with many of the African-American leaders in the state regarding concerns they have about an urban agenda," said Strickland, whose 6th District stretches from southern to a rural part of Northeast Ohio along the Ohio River. "I am from a part of the state that is unfamiliar to some of the leaders in our cities."
His Washington colleague, U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, an influential black Democrat from Cleveland, waited until Thursday, a month after the primary, to endorse Strickland.
Goals
After his nomination, Tubbs Jones said she had conversations with Strickland about what his urban goals might be as governor and talked with the state's prominent mayors. She said she wanted to make sure Strickland was "fighting on behalf of the people I represent."
The black ministers group is carefully considering how it should approach both candidacies.
"I don't see it as much as an issue of race as I do friendship," the Rev. Mr. Matthews said. "We've known him [Blackwell] a long time. We're still in America, and race has its place. Whether or not that becomes an overarching issue is left up to the candidates."
Strickland was conciliatory following the meeting.
"I'm concerned about the historical appeal of a Blackwell candidacy," he said. "It's a reality. I can understand it. I respect the African-American community and its ability to look beyond the color of my skin and Mr. Blackwell's skin and make a decision based on what is best for their children and their communities."
Blackwell says he's not relying on race.
"No one should vote for me just because of the color of my skin," he said. "That would be as foolish as someone voting against me because of the color of my skin. People should vote for me and be supportive of me because of an agenda I've advanced."