Rainbow Coalition

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RAINBOW COALITION

RAINBOW COALITION. The Rainbow Coalition was a group developed within the Democratic Party during the 1984 presidential election. Led by the African American civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, it attracted blacks, Latinos, Asian Americans, American Indians, and poor whites. As the coalition's spokesperson (and candidate for president in the Democratic primaries), Jackson criticized the administration of President Ronald Reagan and called for cuts in defense spending, strengthening of affirmative action, and federal assistance for urban workers and farmers. Although he received 3.3 million votes in 1984 and 6.8 million in a second presidential bid in 1988, the coalition's alliance fragmented, and its influence greatly diminished by 1992.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Collins, Sheila. The Rainbow Challenge: The Jackson Campaign and the Future of U.S. Politics. New York: Monthly Review Press, 1986.

Germond, Jack W., and Jules Witcover. Whose Broad Stripes and Bright Stars?: The Trivial Pursuit of the Presidency, 1988. New York: Warner Books, 1989.

JillWatts/a. g.

See alsoElections, Presidential: 1988 ; Federal Aid ; Lobbies ; Race Relations .


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