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Indiana Black Expo’s Summer Celebration is a place to celebrate African-American culture and its icons, to talk about weighty issues such as education and, of course, to be entertained.

It’s also a place to see and be seen — especially for politicians and candidates of all stripes.

There was Democrat John Gregg, who’s running for governor, shaking hands Friday as he wandered an exhibit hall at the Indiana Convention Center. He stopped for an on-air chat with radio host Amos Brown.

And there was Indiana Treasurer Richard Mourdock, a Republican running for U.S. Senate, who pressed some flesh while he promoted the state’s college-savings plan. Meanwhile, young campaign volunteers for his Democratic opponent, Joe Donnelly, passed out campaign literature nearby.
The visits come in an election year in which African-American voters could play a key role in statewide races — particularly for Democrats.
A spike in voting among African-Americans in 2008 is credited in part for then-candidate Barack Obama becoming the first Democratic presidential contender to win Indiana in 40 years.
Political prognosticators this year place lower odds on a repeat by the president, but African-American voters — who account for about 9 percent of Indiana’s voting-age population — aren’t being taken for granted.
And Black Expo events, which end today, have offered audiences of thousands of politically attuned attendees.
Saturday’s big political name was U.S. Rep. Mike Pence, the Republican nominee for governor. His plans were the same as Gregg’s: visit the exhibit halls and sit for an interview with Brown — a fixture at Black Expo who hosts “Afternoons with Amos” on WTLC-AM (1310).
Differing motivations are likely at play for politicians from the two major parties.
Black Expo offers a friendlier crowd to Democrats, who typically outdraw African-American voters’ support by wide margins. For them, political experts say, it’s a chance to connect one-on-one with potential voters who usually learn about candidates only through TV ads and mailers.
So what’s in it for Republicans?
Mourdock put it this way: “In politicking, something exceptional is always noticed. And when Republicans show up at events that are dominated by Democrats, it’s noticed, and vice versa.
“Obviously,” he added, “this (event) is one of the former, not the latter.”
Mourdock and Pence might not win a lot of votes from their visits. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t worthwhile, said political analyst Andy Downs, who sees such campaign stops as one part hopefulness, one part calculation.
“You have to demonstrate that you are able and willing to go talk to the other side,” said Downs, director of the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne. “Even if you don’t convince everyone to suddenly flip over and vote for you, if you’ve decreased their loyalty (to the opponent), their passion to go out and campaign” against you might ebb.
Gregg, for his part, had some similar campaign stops of his own planned later Friday — at 4-H events in Hendricks and Putnam counties, chock-full of white Republicans.
He said all events offer opportunity.
“First of all, things like this are fun,” Gregg said as he stopped repeatedly to shake hands with voters; those who knew him greeted him as “Governor.”
“Yesterday, I got to spend the day in Liberty, Ind., in Richmond. . . . I do think it makes a difference, because you can’t see every Hoosier,” he said, adding optimistically: “If I could meet all 3.1 million Hoosier voters, I’d win this in a heartbeat.”
Said Christy Denault, Pence’s campaign spokeswoman: “Mike Pence wants to make this the state that works for all Hoosiers, and he’ll take every opportunity he can to meet with them and listen to their concerns. Indiana Black Expo is a great place to do that.”
Some Expo attendees appreciate the attention. For others?
“They might as well leave me alone, really,” said Carl Black Sr., 67, a retired carpenter for General Motors and an Indianapolis Democrat, on Friday. “Usually by now, I know the people that I’m for. I’d rather they just stay away. I know people like to get out and get exposure, but events like this shouldn’t be a political thing.”
Diane Blanchard, 51, another Indianapolis Democrat, took a different view: “They should come in. I saw the mayor one year walk through. I think it’s good for the community.”
Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard, a Republican in his second term, has been a familiar face at Black Expo events this month. His spokesman said Ballard has taken part because of the annual event’s influence in a large segment of the city’s community, not for political reasons.
More here.