Exit polls show that President Donald Trump’s efforts to reach black voters seem to be paying off. While these are not the final numbers, it is an encouraging sign not just to the president but also to the Republican Party as a whole, which has struggled to win black support for decades.

National Exit Polls Show Increased Minority Support for Trump

So far, the national exit poll reveals that President Trump has increased his support among minorities and women, according to political activists. Matt Bruenig, a left-leaning lawyer and commentator, posted the numbers from 2016 and 2020 late on Tuesday evening.

Trump did better in 2020 with every race and gender except white men. Bruenig wrote, “According to the exit poll, women and people of color make up the majority (59.6%) of the Trump coalition again in 2020.”

Thao Nguyen, an election expert, posted a tweet declaring that the poll represents a “historic realignment” of the GOP. In the tweet, he noted the fact that Trump only lost Starr County, Texas, a heavily Latino district, by five points. In 2016, he lost the county by 60 points. “Something has become very clear tonight: the republican party is now a multiracial, working-class party,” he said in another tweet. This data comes from a survey funded by several media outlets. It includes in-person interviews with Election Day voters and telephone polls to absentee and early voters.

Trump Provides a Model for the GOP

During the 2020 election season, Trump did more than just asking black voters what they have to lose. His campaign put forward a concerted effort to increase his support in this community. The president hosted black political activists in the White House and formed “Black Voices 4 Trump” specifically to engage with African Americans in person. He touted his economic record and criminal justice reform. Unlike his predecessors, he was not afraid to speak directly to black Americans without engaging in mindless pandering. The president even went so far as to craft the Platinum Plan specifically for black America.

In the leadup to the election, high-profile hip-hop artists and other minority Americans expressed support for the president. While he did not endorse the president, rapper Ice Cube was willing to sit down with his team to give some ideas that were incorporated into the Platinum Plan despite the backlash he surely knew he’d face.

Trump has shown the Republican Party that if it is willing to put in the work, it could make serious inroads with blacks and other minorities. At this point, with a black electorate that has grown increasingly frustrated with the Democrats, the GOP has an opportunity to expand its tent. But here’s the critical question: Will they do it?

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Read more from Jeff Charles.