Democrat John Edwards courted black voters like an earnest young suitor, and it paid off enormously.
Edwards, who beat Republican Sen. Lauch Faircloth by about 80,000 votes Tuesday, trailed Faircloth among white voters by around 230,000 votes. But Edward claimed nine out of 10 black votes, or 310,000 more than Faircloth.

Early in his victory speech, Edwards gave what seemed to be a nod to the black community.
“You voted for an equal opportunity for every single American and against discrimination of any kind against anybody,” he said. Wednesday, Edwards credited his victory in part to voters who opposed discrimination.
Harrison Hickman, Edwards’ pollster, credited the black vote.
“He couldn’t have won without it,” Hickman said. “The proportion of voters who were African American was higher in this election than they had traditionally been. . . . So getting that level of turnout among the black community was critical.”
The additional turnout of black voters meant about 100,000 more votes for Edwards, enough to make the difference.

“The reason Edwards could play both is that he’s a cipher. He’s a blank slate,” said Ted Arrington, a UNC Charlotte political scientist. “Blacks could read him as supportive, and whites could read him as not threatening. He’ll have a record in six years. My suggestion is he rent in Washington and not buy.”