The chairman of the Texas Coalition of Black Democrats alleged racial bias played a part in the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee's (DSCC) recent endorsement of Texas Senate candidate MJ Hegar.
Carroll Robinson, who was recently elected to be the chairman of the group, said the "disrespectful" endorsement of Hegar on Monday "certainly won’t help her when the DSCC looks like it’s trying to rig [the primary] for her."
"I think the party still has this antiquated perspective that somehow the white candidate will get white voters and the white candidate will get them to victory," he said. "They’re assuming [Hegar will] do better than Wendy Davis, than Hillary Clinton did in Texas, and better than Beto O’Rourke did."
Hegar is running against several candidates of color, including state senator Royce West, who called the DSCC's endorsement of Hegar a "slap in the face."
"The DSCC is trying to lock African Americans out of the process," West said.
The DSCC isn't the only Democratic committee that has faced accusations of racism. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) was criticized over the summer for a lack of diversity.
"There is not one person of color — black or brown, that I’m aware of — at any position of authority or decision-making in the DCCC," said Rep. Marcia Fudge (D., Ohio), a former chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus. "It is shocking, it is shocking, and something needs to be done about it."
The complaints resulted in multiple white DCCC senior staffers resigning.