The Republican Party in the United States hasn’t been all too popular among the African American population for decades now. They have largely sided with the Democratic Party, but ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith explained on the Funky Friday Podcast why he wishes they would go Republican for one election.
“In 2010 at Vanderbilt University, I said, listen to this quote, politics, I wish for one election that every Black person would vote Republican,” Smith said. “What? What? What? How can you say that? I said, it’s simple. Since 1964, Black folks, we have been giving our vote to the Democratic Party at an exorbitant rate. Therefore, they know they got our vote, and they don’t have to cater to us as much as we need them to.
“The Republicans know they’ll never get our vote, so they don’t give a damn about us,” Smith continued. “And as a result, we’re the only community in America devoid of representation, which is why we’re considered disenfranchised. I’m tired of that. What I want is to put ourselves as a community in a position where both parties have to work to get our vote.”
Smith claimed he didn’t make the comment to discourage people from voting for Democrats. The 58-year-old also added that he isn’t a Republican.
“I am not somebody that is going to sit up there and ignore the resistance some in that party have shown to progression as it pertained to the Black community,” Smith stated. “But I’m also not going to be foolish enough to sit up here and act like everything the Democrats have done is in our best interest.
“When you pushing for immigration or pushing for migrants to cross the border, you don’t give a damn whether they are legal or illegal migrants, I know why,” Smith continued. “Because you’re trying to dilute the potency of the Black vote… The Hispanic community is growing by the numbers each and every single day, and they are now the dominant minority as opposed to us as Black people because we only making up 13.6% of the population.
“You’re basically trying to render us potentless,” Smith added. “And I’m not down for that. I’m down for us. I’m not against anybody. I’m not against White people. I love my Hispanic brothers and sisters. I got Hispanic relatives. Some of my relatives are from Puerto Rico.”
Smith thinks going the other route could help the Black community. You doubt he is going to sway many people, though.
Smith also had aspirations to run for the presidency in 2028, but he has shelved those plans. He made it clear he isn’t interested in giving up the millions he makes in his media career for it.
“I’m not giving up my money,” Smith said. “You got to give up your money. According to FCC equal-time rules, in order for you to run for the presidency of the United States, you got to give up your money. I worked too hard for my paper. I ain’t giving that up… I am not running ’cause I ain’t giving up my paper. They said I had to give up my paper. It ain’t happening.”
Smith signed a five-year deal worth at least $100 million with ESPN in 2025. He isn’t going to walk away from that kind of money.
