What's the matter with black Republicans?

[Indy Texas]

I blame gerrymandering. A black person running in a VRA-protected, Democratic vote sink cannot be anything other than left-wing. A black person running in a non-VRA district in one of the states where black people mostly live will find himself facing a heavily white, very conservative electorate.

There is also a subconscious race factor - black conservatives may present themselves as more conservative to allay their white voters' suspicions of them.

And black identification with the Democratic Party is so high, I'd imagine only the very, very conservative blacks would be motivated to identify as Republican. (Moderates would probably simply remain Democrats).

[Indy Texas]

Colin Powell?

Who has also never been elected to anything in his life.

[Indy Texas]

Okay, what about Condoleezza Rice?  Or Michael Steele?

Rice has never run for or won an election in her life.

Steele was not elected in his own right - he was the running mate of Bob Ehrlich. So voters got him as part of the package. And then he ran for Senate, which didn't turn out so well.