They are the faces and voices the media wants you to see and hear. Both are young, charismatic, intelligent and African American. More importantly, in the eyes of the mainstream press, they are Democrats. Illinois Senator Barack Obama and Tennessee Senate candidate, Congressman Harold Ford, are the featured stories and interviews in magazines, newspapers and on talk shows. There are other prominent African Americans running for high profile offices, but they are viewed with great disdain because they run under the banner of the GOP.

Over the past forty years something in the American body politick changed and African Americans left the party of Abraham Lincoln and joined the party of Lyndon Johnson. Lincoln may have ended slavery, but under Johnson civil rights were greatly expanded. History has even though he needed the help of Republicans, Democrats who dominated the south fought equality. During and since the Johnson administration, African Americans have been perceived by society as needing the social programs and affirmative action policies supported by the modern day Democratic Party. Today African Americans who support the GOP are perceived as Uncle Toms or Token candidates. Self-proclaimed civil rights leaders such as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton support and politicize this view. Their efforts are supported by the mainstream press, who currently won’t acknowledge the existence of high profile African Americans running for office in Maryland, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

So why isn’t Steele getting a cover story in Newsweek like Rep. Harold Ford of Tennessee? Both men are African Americans; candidates for the Senate, current office holders and a victory by either one will have historic ramifications. Steele’s campaign has undoubtedly generated excitement and controversy worthy of national attention. A member of his opponent’s staff was fired for posting a racist comment on a blog. House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer found himself apologizing after he referred to Steele as "slavishly" supporting the GOP. I’m sure if Ford’s opponent in Tennessee, Bob Corker, had a staffer who posted a racist comment on a blog or if a Republican House member made an insensitive remark, Katie Couric would be making it the lead story on the CBS evening news.

In Pennsylvania and Ohio, African Americans are seeking their respective states highest office. Former football great and Hall of fame member Lynn Swan and Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell have uphill battles in their bids for governor, but they also have to overcome the prejudices of being African American and running under the Republican banner.

Why does the press grant high profile exposure to men such as Obama, who finds himself on Oprah and Meet the Press and Congressman Ford, who graces the current cover of Newsweek, but ignore African American candidates and office holders who are Republican?

The promotion of African American Democrats compared to the apathetic attitudes toward African American Republicans should serve as another example of a liberal bias within the mainstream media. The greatest fear Democrats and their cohorts in the media have is the prospect of losing the African American vote. African Americans make up approximately 13% of the population, but they generate as much as 20% of the total vote cast for Democrats. African Americans tend to support Democratic candidates in upwards of 90%. In 2000 Al Gore received 91% of their vote, while John Kerry got 89% in 2004.

States such as California, Illinois and New York are considered solid Democratic or Blue States. These states are all ranked in the top 5 in population, which means they have the same ranking within the Electoral College. The African American vote plays an enormous role in these states having great national significance. The chance that their vote could be remotely hindered could have catastrophic effects for Democrats nationwide.

It is undoubtedly in the best interest of the Democratic Party to keep African American Republicans under the political radar. With help from their media allies, they have been able to accomplish that goal. However, the more African Americans who campaign for and hold prominent offices under the GOP banner, the more likely they will take a second look at the Party of Lincoln. That could cause the Democratic Party to have the same fate as slavery.