Former Black Voices for Trump Chair Shares Path to GOP Victory in Minority Communities

Clear Facts

• T.W. Shannon, former Oklahoma House Speaker and Black Voices for Trump chair, says the GOP can maintain momentum with minority voters despite Trump not being on the 2026 ballot
• Trump won 16% of the Black vote in 2024, nearly double his 2020 total, according to Fox News Voter Analysis
• Shannon points to job creation, lower crime rates, and the Democratic Party’s leftward shift as key factors favoring Republican outreach

While President Donald Trump will not appear on the ballot during the 2026 midterm elections, Republicans have a clear path to maintaining the historic gains made among Black voters during the 2024 presidential race. That’s according to T.W. Shannon, the former chair of Black Voices for Trump and current Republican lieutenant governor nominee in Oklahoma.

Shannon, who previously served as Oklahoma state House Speaker and worked in the second Trump administration, believes the combination of strong conservative policies and the Democratic Party’s embrace of radical leftist positions will continue driving minority voters toward the GOP.

The numbers tell a compelling story. Trump secured 16% of the Black vote in the 2024 presidential election, according to Fox News Voter Analysis—nearly double his total from four years earlier. This dramatic shift represents a seismic change in American electoral politics.

“It’s because Donald Trump has transformed the Republican Party back into the working party,” Shannon explained in an interview Thursday at the first ever GOP midterm convention. “You see Democrats competing for the Black vote now. Something that you used to not see at all. They didn’t have to, they just took it for granted.”

Shannon pointed to concrete results delivered during the second Trump administration as the foundation for continued Republican success. Job creation and declining crime rates stand out as policy achievements that directly benefit Black voters and Black communities across America.

The contrast with the Democratic Party could not be starker. Shannon took direct aim at candidates backed by or aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America, whose radical agenda includes proposals deeply unpopular in minority communities.

“Look at what the DSA is offering, you know, we’re talking about raising taxes, we’re talking about doing away with the Senate, disbanding the police,” he said. “These are not things that are well received in the Black community.”

Democrats naturally dispute Shannon’s assessment, though their response reveals their concern about losing ground with traditional voting blocs.

“Black Americans are going to reject Trump’s billionaires-first, cost-raising agenda at the ballot box this November and elect Democrats who are fighting to lower costs and deliver for working families,” a Democratic National Committee spokesperson claimed.

The DNC spokesperson added that the committee “is investing critical resources to reach, register, and mobilize Black voters across the country. While the Trump administration continues to attack civil and voting rights, we are fighting to protect the core of our democracy.”

Shannon’s personal story embodies the American Dream. A Lawton native, he became his state’s youngest and first African American House speaker in 2013. He also made history as the first member of the Chickasaw Nation to hold the office.

Now running for lieutenant governor in solidly Republican Oklahoma, Shannon is heavily favored to win in November. His primetime speaking slot at the convention provided a powerful platform to share both his personal journey and his vision for the GOP’s future.

“Any time I get a chance to tell the story about how great Oklahoma is and how great America is, I won’t miss a chance to do it,” Shannon said.

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