P Diddy launches election crusade

Emma Simpson
BBC, New York

Combs believes the young, black vote could decide the race

Hip-hop star Sean "P Diddy" Combs has launched a campaign to encourage more young and minority voters to turn out in the US presidential election.

He says his target audience, the 42 million 18-30 year olds and black voters, could decide the outcome.

Black voters traditionally support the Democrats, but young and minority voters vote less than other groups.

Mr Combs insists that his movement, Citizen Change, will not favour one party over another.

But a number of his advisers are Democrats including the political guru, James Carville, a key strategist for former President Bill Clinton.

Music mogul

He is a music and fashion mogul, but now Mr Combs has stepped into the election fray.

And he is putting all his marketing skills to use with T-shirts, TV commercials and a voter registration push in cities and campuses across the US.

Mr Combs believes the young, black vote could be the deciding factor this November.

In the 2000 campaign, civil rights leaders believed that many blacks in Florida were disenfranchised, thereby tipping the election to George Bush.

---

Are you a young and minority voter? If so Talking Point would like to hear from you. We'll be discussing the US election and the Democratic National Convention in our global phone-in programme, Talking Point, on Sunday, 25 July. If you'd like to take part, send a phone number with your comments. Your phone number will not be published.

Click here to visit the Talking Point programme page