The 2024 Republican primary field has become the most diverse in the party’s history but all of a sudden, the left-wing mainstream media doesn’t seem to notice.
“A media landscape that repeatedly touted the 2020 Democratic candidates as an American tapestry doesn’t seem nearly as interested this time around,” noted Fox News in a Monday report.
During the 2020 Democratic election cycle, an unprecedented number of 29 candidates joined the race. Among them were seven individuals from racial minority backgrounds and one openly gay candidate. The mainstream media extensively covered the diversity of the candidates, considering it a notable aspect of the historic presidential race.
In January 2019, CNN was quick to hail the field “the most diverse in modern political history” when there were only eight declared candidates. Meanwhile, the Associated Press also immediately jumped on the ‘Democratic Party diversity’ bandwagon, Fox News noted.
“The early days of the Democratic primary campaign are highlighting the party’s diversity as it seeks a nominee who can build a coalition to take on President Donald Trump,” the AP wrote under this headline: “Early 2020 Democratic field puts diversity in spotlight.”
The following month, The New York Times published a story under the headline, “Cory Booker Announces Presidential Bid, Joining Most Diverse Field Ever,” going on to note that the senator was “embarking on a campaign to become the nation’s second [B]lack president in a Democratic primary field that is the most diverse in American history.”
Publicly-funded NPR published a story claiming that white men running in the Democratic field were forced to “grapple with identity,” while Vox touted how “the most diverse field of Democratic presidential candidates ever is hiring diverse staff, too.”
USA Today columnist Jill Lawrence also urged her readers to “Celebrate the diverse 2020 Democratic candidates and don’t fret about ‘electability.'”
Fox News added:
However, the media’s tone turned pessimistic as the Democratic primary race unfolded. In October 2019, the Times published the headline, “Democrats Have the Most Racially Diverse Field Ever. The Top Tier Is All White.” Washington Post columnist Philip Bump similarly complained, “The most diverse Democratic field in history seems poised to result in a [W]hite nominee.”
Fast-forward to the 2024 election cycle, and many of those same news organizations have gone quiet on the diversity of the growing GOP primary race. The 2024 Democratic field currently consists of Biden, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Marianne Williamson, who are all White and over 69 years old.
But the situation has reversed on the Republican side of the aisle.
“Leading up to June, four of the eight declared candidates were racial minorities; former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, both first-generation Indian-Americans, and conservative radio host Larry Elder and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who are both Black,” Fox News noted.
With few notable exceptions, including Newsweek and the AP, the vast majority of the mainstream media has ignored the GOP’s diverse field.
“Several liberal reporters called me for comment when Tim Scott announced his candidacy. They asked: ‘You and Tim Scott are both black Republicans, what distinguishes you from him?’” Elder told Fox News. “My response? ‘Did you reporters, in 2016, say to Trump, ‘You and Jeb Bush are both white Republicans, what distinguishes you from him?’ Their silence was deafening.”
“No, to the liberal media, Elder and Scott are not two different individuals. Why, as Republicans, who are both black, Elder and Scott are practically identical twins separated at birth! Yet another example of liberal media condescension and bigotry,” he added.
Shortly after Haley launched her presidential bid in February, far-left writer Wajahat Ali said on equally far-lef MSNBC that she “uses her Brown skin to launder white supremacist talking points.” MSNBC host Joy Reid went on to accuse Haley of “trying to fit in” by converting to Christianity instead of embracing her Sikh background.
“Nikki Haley always makes liberals lose their minds. They can’t handle the idea of a strong, outspoken conservative woman. Too bad for them,” Haley spokesman Ken Farnaso told Fox News.
When Scott launched his campaign last month, Whoopi Goldberg claimed he has “Clarence Thomas syndrome” and described his mention of victimhood as a “dog whistle.” Her white co-host, Joy Behar, said the black South Carolina Republican “doesn’t get” racism in America.
