MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
A lot of people grow more conservative as they age. But among Black voters, younger generations may actually be the more conservative ones. NPR's Bria Suggs has more on how young, Black voters could change this year's election.
BRIA SUGGS, BYLINE: Surveys show Black voters under 50 are more likely to lean Republican than Black voters over 50. That's a generational divide that's been expanding over time. R.C. Maxwell, a 35-year-old Republican from Arizona, is one of a growing number of young, Black conservatives. Here's what he thinks.
RC MAXWELL: We want prosperity, and we want secure borders, and we want the American dream. And only the Republican Party is speaking to this message because they have the policies in terms of limited government.
SUGGS: Millennials and Gen Z aren't happy with the current political system and are distancing themselves from party affiliations altogether. Historically, both Black voters and young voters have voted for Democrats, but more young, Black voters are choosing to vote Republican or not vote at all.
BERNARD FRAGA: And this election might be where we see that kind of manifest for the first time, where it looks like Black voters, overall, are, you know, willing to vote Republican to a greater degree than in the past.
SUGGS: That's Bernard Fraga, an associate professor at Emory University.
FRAGA: Now, when we say a greater degree than in the past, we're talking about 85% or 88%, maybe, voting democratic instead of 95% voting democratic.
SUGGS: So Fraga says, even though young, Black voters still lean toward Democrats overall, they are more conservative than older generations. Because of that and because Black voters are key to democratic wins in many places, young, Black voters could be a potential wildcard in an already tight presidential election.
Bria Suggs, NPR News, Washington.
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