This week’s issue of The South Shore Press (SSP) is on the cusp of both Black and Women’s History Month.
Civil and Constitutional Rights Attorney, Tricia Lindsey, spoke with SSP about her thoughts on being black, a woman, and a Republican. Lindsey pushes back on the idea that being black or a woman dictates how she should think and vote.
Lindsay ran for NYS Senate in the 37th District (Westchester County) in November 2024, gaining nearly 40% of the vote as an endorsed Republican and Conservative against three-term incumbent Shelley Mayer, who ran on the Democrat and Working Families Party.
In addition to being an accomplished attorney, Lindsey taught in the New York City and Yonkers school systems for 24 years and served as an administrator.
During her run for senate Lindsay called herself “a constitutionalist and a populist working for ‘We the People’.”
Lindsey was a registered Democrat for a long time saying, “I've always been conservative, I just was in the wrong party. I grew up in a Democrat family.
“My upbringing was God, family, education, and hard work, those were our values. The Golden Rule - treat people the way you want to be treated.”
Lindsay is a first-generation American. Her grandmother emigrated from Jamaica when President Kennedy opened things up “allowing people to come to go after the American dream.”
Following party politics wasn’t Lindsay’s way of doing things. When she decided to run for office, she wanted to run as an Independent but was ultimately convinced that aligning with the Republican Party made more sense as far as endorsements and other support.
“I watch what a person does. I analyze the situation. I don't put everybody in the box,” Lindsey said. “And I get a little suspect when everyone is so happy and following one person chanting the same thing.”
Lindsey did get some reactions when she “came out” as a Republican. Some were openly hostile.
“I did get attacked by one woman, but it wasn't a black woman. It was an older white woman who told me that I should be ashamed of myself being a black woman running as a Republican,” Lindsey said. “She said to me Republicans are racist. She's telling me as a black person, you should not be voting for any other party except for the Democrats.”
“Do you even understand how racist that comment is? You're telling me that as a black woman, I'm not allowed to leave the Democrat plantation?” Lindsey said to the woman.
Asked about why Black and brown voters turned toward Trump this election, Lindsey said, “I think they started to see through the BS. He was speaking to the people and not over the people.”
“Also, people were looking and listening to Biden and Harris saying one thing, but life was getting harder. And during COVID, the Democrat party wreaked havoc on the lives of Americans,” Lindsey said.
“I think people started to see Trump wanted to help people. The more Democrats attacked him, the more people asked, what is going on?” said Lindsey. “I think their attack on him using the justice system only helped him. They should have just left him alone because the more they attacked him; the more people saw his resilience.”
Lindsey spoke about how the more Democrats attacked Trump “the more they highlighted their wickedness, their deception, their evil, and their lack of concern for the people. They showed that they had just one agenda and that was to destroy Donald Trump.”
“And, everything that he said when he talked about crooked Hillary when he talked about Hunter Biden’s laptop and other things. It was all true,” said Lindsey.
Lindsey said, “People asked, “What else are they lying to us about?” And then, they went and voted for Trump.