In a basketball game, a 2-point basket can be the difference between winning and losing. In the presidential race, the 2-point increase in support among black voters nationwide played a huge role in the re-election of President Bush. The manner in which he was able to garner this support has taught a lesson in black voter mobilization that the GOP should consider when the political fight resurfaces in the 2006 midterm elections.

The relevance of this lesson assumes that black voters will remain a high priority in the party’s expansion efforts in light of the exponential gains in Hispanic support in the last election, which greatly contributed to the president’s margin of victory. But if they choose to continue the efforts started in earnest during the campaign, the president has provided a blueprint for success in this area.

Success in reaching black voters is simply a matter of finding an issue or issues of consensus and building upon it. In the presidential election, Bush increased support among blacks by focusing on the issue of same-sex marriages, an issue in which he and the majority of blacks shared the same viewpoint.

In Black America’s Political Action Committee’s 2004 National Opinion Poll, an overwhelming majority of black voters shared the president’s opposition to the legalization of same-sex marriages. The shared perspective on this issue among blacks and President Bush created a connection that led in large part to the increase in support the president received.

Based on the president’s success, the GOP should consider breaking from past recruitment strategies and following Bush’s lead. All too often, the GOP has mistakenly emphasized partisanship as opposed to policy in recruiting black voters and potential candidates. This strategy does not account for the staunch loyalty among black voters to the Democratic Party or a disconnect that exists in many cases between GOP leaders and black voters. It is hard to promote partisanship to someone who does not see people who share their background in positions of leadership.

In lieu of the partisan approach, the GOP should focus on building support among blacks. Bush was able to gain support because by realizing that the majority of blacks take a conservative approach to social issues. In most cases blacks refrain from the conservative label, however, choosing to categorize this approach as merely an adherence to our traditional values. Faith plays a key role in our culture in setting the moral compass by which we live and make decisions regarding social issues. In laying the groundwork for 2006, the GOP should tout this connection, especially as it relates to the faith-based initiatives, same-sex marriages and other issues with a moral basis.

Another key policy issue that can resonate among blacks is Social Security reform, namely allowing the option of private investment of a part of Social Security taxes. Under the current system, blacks (especially males) receive the least amount of Social Security benefits due to lower life expectancies than other segments of the population. A change to the system would not only be a legislative victory for the Republican-controlled Congress and the administration but could also lead to increased support among blacks in 2006.

Another area that the GOP and blacks connect on is the need to improve the nation’s public schools with charter schools and other school choice options being a part of that overall improvement strategy.

In each of BAMPAC’s National Polls of African Americans conducted since 1996, local public schools systems received a grade of “C” or lower. Furthermore, nearly 50 percent of blacks, if given the choice, would remove their child from the local public school and place them in a charter or private school. If the GOP-controlled Congress can distinguish itself as taking all measures necessary to improve the quality of education among children, this could be another point of consensus on the 2006 campaign trail and beyond.

Bush laid the groundwork for his GOP counterparts in reaching black voters. Instead of promoting party, he promoted policy that is an easier way to connect with any voter. As the 2006 midterm election campaigns begin to take shape, let’s hope that the GOP will follow the lead of the president in finding issues of consensus among blacks. If so, the margin of support could increase from two points to untold potential in the future.

Alvin Williams is president and CEO of Black America’s Political Action Committee, www.bampac.org, a conservative federal PAC.