'Not Your Firewall': Minority Voters Refuse To Be Token in Clinton Strategy Map

Hillary Clinton’s allegedly formidable advantage among minority voters in South Carolina, Nevada, and elsewhere is being questioned—and tested—as people of color are increasingly coming forth to reject being treated as a political “firewall” for her campaign.

Following Clinton’s significant loss to rival Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire on Tuesday night, campaign manager Robby Mook sent a memo to supporters suggesting that Clinton’s “high levels of support in the African American and Hispanic communities” should all but guarantee her the Democratic nomination.

“It will be very difficult, if not impossible, for a Democrat to win the nomination without strong levels of support among African American and Hispanic voters,” Mook wrote. “Hillary’s high levels of support in the African American and Hispanic communities are well known. She has maintained a wide double digit lead over Sen. Sanders among minority voters in national surveys and in states where African American and Hispanic voters make up a large share of the electorate. That type of support was not created overnight; it has been forged over more than 40 years of fighting for and alongside communities of color. They know her, trust her and are excited about her candidacy.”

The release of the memo spurred wide rebuke from voters, including New York Daily News columnist and Black Lives Matter activist Shaun King, who wrote online: “Hey Black & Latino voters, Did YOU get the Hillary memo asking you to save her campaign?”

King, who openly supports Sanders, has previously said that he “fundamentally reject[s]” the notion of an African American firewall and finds it “insulting on its face.”

As the Huffington Post pointed out, others swiftly followed suit, specifically highlighting the former secretary of state’s support of the 1994 crime bill passed during husband Bill Clinton’s presidency.