Dr. Sullivan is the only black nominee to the Cabinet.

If victorious in the primary, Mr. McCall would be the first black nominee of a major party for the state's top office.

For instance, wold Democrats be willing to vote against a black nominee?

Both are already under fire for keeping black nominees off the federal bench.

Complaints about the dearth of black acting nominees are nothing new.

And for six years, from 1975 through 1980, there were no black acting nominees at all.

But some Democrats see a deep cynicism in the Bush Administration's embrace of a black conservative nominee to the high court.

Suppose, on the other hand, that Democrats do openly choose the first black Presidential nominee, and that he does lose.

One of the issues raised is Mr. Ashcroft's having led the successful fight to block a black nominee for a federal appeals court seat.

In the end, he nominated eight black, female and Hispanic nominees to Cabinet-level positions that had never been held by members of their groups.