(nyt) Among the many reverberations of President Obama’s election, here is one he probably never anticipated: at least 32 African-Americans are running for Congress this year as Republicans, the biggest surge since Reconstruction, according to party officials. Barbara P. Fernandez for The New York Times Allen West, running in Florida, says the notion of racism in the Tea Party movement has been made up by the news media. Interactive Map: Tracking the Races An interactive map provided a dynamic look at the midterm elections across the country. Blog The Caucus The latest on President Obama, his administration and other news from Washington and around the nation. Join the discussion. * More Politics News Enlarge This Image Joshua Lott for The New York Times Vernon Parker's competition for a House seat from Arizona includes Ben Quayle, the former vice president's son. Shannon Davidson/Aurora Sentinel & Daily Sun Ryan Frazier, a House candidate in Colorado, says the Republican Party needs to “engage every community.” Enlarge This Image Alex Wong/Getty Images Princella Smith, in Arkansas, says she disagrees with President Obama but is proud of the country for electing him. The House has not had a black Republican since 2003, when J. C. Watts of Oklahoma left after eight years. But now black Republicans are running across the country — from a largely white swath of beach communities in Florida to the suburbs of Phoenix, where an African-American candidate has raised more money than all but two of his nine (white) Republican competitors in the primary. Party officials and the candidates themselves acknowledge that they still have uphill fights in both the primaries and the general elections, but they say that black Republicans are running with a confidence they have never had before. They credit the marriage of two factors: dissatisfaction with the Obama administration, and the proof, as provided by Mr. Obama, that blacks can get elected. “I ran in 2008 and raised half a million dollars, and the state party didn’t support me and the national party didn’t support me,” said Allen West, who is running for Congress in Florida and is one of roughly five black candidates the party believes could win. “But we came back and we’re running and things are looking great.”

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