10 Black Republicans You Probably Don’t Know But Should
DR. ADA M. FISHER, MD, MPH
Dr. Fisher is currently serving as the National Committeewoman from the state of North Carolina, where she is part of the governing body that decides policy and direction for the Republican National Committee. She is the first African American to ever serve in this capacity in the history of the state of North Carolina. Dr. Fisher is also a life member of the NAACP and a lifelong Republican, like her father and grandfather. In addition, she is a civil rights pioneer, a physician, educator, and a frequently sought after public speaker. She is someone I affectionately call the “Fannie Lou Hamer†of the Republican Party—meaning she always speaks the truth as she sees it and cannot be bought off of her principles.
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DAVID J. BYRD
A lifelong Republican from New Jersey, Byrd, has worked on the local, state and federal level in positions of great influence and power. He started off working for Lee Atwater at the Republican National Committee and then moved his way up to more influential positions. For instance, he served in several senior level positions with former Republican Governor of New Jersey, Christine Todd Whitman. These positions included Special Assistant to the Governor for Economic Development all the way to director, office of Small Business, New Jersey, Commerce and Economic Growth Commission. Byrd went on to be appointed by former president, George W. Bush, as Associate Commissioner, Office of External Affairs, U.S. Social Security Administration. He also served as Chief of Staff to former Maryland Republican Lt. Governor, Michael Steele. Byrd is now Managing Director of Global Political Solutions, a D.C. based government affairs firm.
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SHANNON REEVES
Reeves holds the distinction of being the only person to serve four consecutive terms as President of the Oakland, CA branch of the NAACP. He is also the only person ever to serve simultaneously as an elected NAACP President and an elected officer of the California Republican Party (he served as Secretary of the California Republican Party, making him the highest-ranking Black party official in the state’s history). Reeves simultaneously founded Freedom Fund, Inc., a nonprofit organization structured to manage and operate Chevron gas and convenience stores in Oakland, CA. This inner-city business enterprise maintained a staff of approximately 37 employees and generated annual sales of approximately $13 million. Currently, Reeves is the Managing Partner of Reeves Strategies, LLC, a government affairs, corporate relations and political consulting firm. He was elected to the Louisiana Republican State Central Committee in 2011.
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MIA LOVE
Love is the current mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah and a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives. If elected, she would be the first Black Republican female ever elected to Congress. She ran for a seat on the city council in 2004 and after serving six years, ran for and became mayor. Under her leadership, Saratoga Springs has the highest bonding rating for a city of its size—AA+. Smart money is saying that she has an excellent chance of winning the Republican nomination for Congress, as well as winning the seat. Regardless of what happens with this race, you have not heard the last of Mia Love.
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FRANCIS M. JOHNSON
Johnson is both a “money†guy and a grassroots organizer. He plays on the money level within the Republican Party and has the ability to make a few phone calls and raise thousands of dollars very quickly. Just as important, as a public relations executive, he has the ability and understanding of how to mobilize voters into action. Johnson is a grassroots organizer that many in the party have come to depend on.
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JENNIFER CARROLL
Carroll is the Trinidadian born Florida Lt. Governor. She is the first Black and first female elected to this office in the state’s history. She formerly served in the Florida House of Representatives and is the highest elected Black Republican in the U.S. Carroll could have a bright future in Republican politics, but to my dismay, most Americans (even Blacks) have never heard of her. Part of the reason is her lack of a personal political organization. Unfortunately, she is making the same mistake that elected Black Republicans have made forever—not building their own political machine. If she doesn’t correct this mistake, she to will end up in the Black Republican museum of anonymity.
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RAPHAEL “RAFFI†WILLIAMS
Williams is one of the smartest young guys coming up in the Republican Party. A recent graduate of Haverford College in Pennsylvania, He is currently Communications Director at Benishek for Congress. He left a position of Staff Assistant for the House Rules Committee to go on the campaign trail. Within 10-15 years, I expect him to manage a Republican presidential campaign. Williams will definitely be a “go to†political operative within the next couple of years.
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ALLEGRA F. MCCULLOUGH
McCullough was appointed by then Republican Virginia Governor, Jim Gilmore, as the first African American in the state’s history to become Assistant Secretary of the Commonwealth. Later, she was appointed by then president, George W. Bush to be Regional Administration for the Small Business Administration (SBA). McCullough received her undergraduate degree in Education from the University of Virginia and a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management from Marymount University. She is a former high school English and drama teacher and has also worked as a marketing and human resource consultant, corporate trainer and television producer. Many Republican elected officials still frequently seek McCullough out for advice.
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PATRICIA FUNDERBURK WARE
Ware served as a Presidential Appointee in both the George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush Administrations as Director of the Office of Adolescent Pregnancy Programs; Executive Director of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS and Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Health, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, respectively. During the Clinton Administration, she served as a member of the Collaborative Working Group on HIV/AIDS and Women. She is now involved with the Obama Administration’s White House Office of Public Engagement regarding Africa and African Diaspora issues. Mrs. Ware has testified before the U.S. Congress and state legislatures on adolescent sexuality, HIV/AIDS and related issues.
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TIM PERSON
Person is a former St. Louis, MO Democrat who came to realize that the Republican Party was more in synch with his fiscal and moral beliefs than the Democratic Party. He served as Chief of Staff of the Circuit Clerk of the City of St. Louis and then the Executive Assistant to the mayor of the City of St. Louis (both Democrats). He now serves as an advisor and consultant to Republican elected officials throughout the state of Missouri.
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