Race, Post-Black Politics, and the Democratic Presidential Candidacy of Barack Obama

On February 10, 2008, Senator Barack Obama announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States. As a post-black candidate, Obama did not once make reference to the historic fact that he would be the first African American to have a real chance of winning the democratic nomination during his announcement. However, race would become a recurring theme throughout the primary season, repeatedly acknowledged by the media, his opponents, his surrogates, and eventually by the candidate himself.