Will Obama victory end racial-identity politics?

According to exit polls, Obama showed that an African-American candidate can appeal to black voters without losing large numbers of whites. Obama took some 95 percent of the black vote. At the same time, he won 41 percent of white men – higher than the last five Democratic presidential nominees. He won nearly half of white independents.

Exit polls showed that, overall, any racial backlash was overwhelmed by voters who said that they punched their ticket for Obama precisely because of the historical nature of his candidacy.

“People were making a statement,” said Dr. Nteta of the University of Massachusetts.

African-American politicians such as Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker have shown it is possible to win office with a colorblind campaign. Obama has now shown that works on the national level, too, Nteta says. “The political legacy of Obama is going to be one of more minority candidates taking the same approach.”

On Chicago’s South Side, Kent Dowden purchased fast food at a corner hot-dog stand for his family early Wednesday morning after a tense night watching election results.

“We preach to kids, ‘Go to school and doors will open for you‚‘ and now we can actually show that it’s true,” he said. “It’s a beautiful thing.”

He said Obama didn’t win because of his race. “An African-American on a Republican ticket wouldn’t have won,” he said. Obama “was the most qualified – bottom line.”

Married couple Linda Brothers and L’Roy Perryman were exhausted by 2 a.m. Wednesday after celebrating late into the night with friends.

For Mr. Perryman, the Obama win was historic. “I’m [originally] from Mississippi. I remember when blacks couldn’t vote,” he said.

Ms. Brothers said she hopes the victory will somehow rectify daily life in Englewood, historically one of the most troubled neighborhoods on Chicago’s South Side. “It might make young people here be what they want to be,” she said. Obama “made it.”

In Oakland, many blacks said they admire Obama for varying reasons, including his discipline, family life, orientation toward consensus, and his intelligence.

“What was really impressive for me was that he was elected president of the Harvard Law Review, which led me to believe that he can form a coalition between liberals and conservatives to achieve an effective, positive agenda,” said Torrence Williams, a civil servant living in Oakland.

Local high school student Cedric Wilson also mentioned Obama’s leadership at the law review – which is not the usual stat for a 15-year-old to know about a personal hero.

“He sets a good example,” Cedric said of Obama. “When parents ask you what you want to be when you grow up, nobody really says president, because nobody has been president who is African-American or Latino. I don’t want to be president, not me. But it gives other people hope, it inspires people.”

•Staff writer Ben Arnoldy in Oakland, Calif., and contributors Mark Guarino in Chicago and Brian Whitley in Boston contributed to this story.

•This story was updated on Nov. 6.

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