This article focuses on the political campaigns and career of Edward Brooke—the first black senator elected by popular vote and the only African American senator ever to win reelection. Brooke stands as the pioneer of a specific historical tradition: the history of black politicians who have won white votes. This article positions Brooke as the most important forerunner to Barack Obama. Indeed, he anticipated many of the racial and political currents that Obama has had to navigate. Yet this article aims to do more than situate Barack Obama’s ascent within the broader arc of American political history. It also explores Brooke’s campaigns and career in an effort to offer a new perspective on the history of racial politics in America’s northern states.
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