This is a word. A podcast from Slate. I'm your host, Jason Johnson. A generation after

leaders like Colin Powell inspired African-American conservatives to embrace the GOP, some of

the most visible black Republicans now are extremists and blowhards who are chasing

the support of Trump voters. What happened and what's the way forward?

There was a time when, you know, blacks voted 90-10 Republican. And we squandered that.

The future of black Republican leadership coming up on a word with me, Jason Johnson. Stay

with us. Welcome to a word. A podcast about race and politics and everything else. I'm your

host, Jason Johnson. Once upon a time, the Republican Party was the default choice of millions of

black American voters and the political home for black leaders. But for decades, the party of Lincoln

has embraced the most reactionary policies and statements on race, leaving many conservative

black Americans without a political home. And just in the last 15 years, the most prominent

black Republican has changed from elder statesman Colin Powell to this guy. A like it or not, slavery

was legal. And so their property, their legal property was taken away from them after the

after the Civil War. So you can make an argument that the people that are old reparations and not

only just black people, but also the people whose quote, property, close quote was taken away after

after the end of the Civil War. That's radio host Larry Elder who is leading the Republican

pack in a bid to become California governor and the upcoming recall election. In the meantime,

black Republican and former football star Herschel Walker has announced his long shot candidacy

for Senator in Georgia, even though he lives in Texas. But there's still black Republicans who want

to make the party credible again amongst black voters. One of those leaders is Michael Steele.

He once served as lieutenant governor in Maryland and briefly as chairman of the Republican

National Committee. He's currently a political analyst for MSNBC and host of the Man of Steel

...