When the mid-term election results are analysed, African-American and Hispanic voters may be seen to have played a crucial role. Their support or lack of it can mean success or failure for Democratic candidates.
This is why President Clinton concentrated in the last days of the campaign on urging the black and Hispanic voters to be sure and go to the polls. Blacks have voted overwhelmingly Democrat since the civil rights era.
In tight election races, the black vote can swing the result, as between 80 and 90 per cent of African-Americans who vote usually support Democratic candidates. Hence the importance for Democrats of getting that vote out.
The growing Hispanic vote is less heavily orientated to the Democrats. The two sons of a former Republican president, Mr George Bush, who are running for governor in Texas and Florida are both fluent Spanish speakers and were able to communicate more easily with the Hispanic electorate than their opponents.
Elections usually bring reports of black voters being intimidated and scared away from polling stations by Republican activists. President Clinton, in an interview with an African-American radio network, voiced his concern when he said that in recent elections "there have been examples in various states of Republicans either actually or threatening to try to invalidate the votes of African-Americans in precincts that are overwhelmingly African-American, mostly in places where they think it might change the outcome of the election."
The chairman of the Republican National Committee, Mr Jim Nicholson, called on Mr Clinton to apologise for "such low and divisive rhetoric". But the president called on the Republicans to "renounce" what he called the "totally abhorrent" practices of "having extra police officers just look at people when they go to vote, or photographing them or doing videotapes when they go to vote or otherwise trying to scare people off".
Mr Clinton's empathy with African-Americans could be seen last Sunday when he attended a black Baptist service in Baltimore and got an enthusiastic welcome from the 3,000-strong congregation.
Also sitting in the front rows were the Democratic governor, Mr Parris Glendening, and his deputy, Ms Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Senator Barbara Mikulski, and several congressmen, all of whom were up for re-election. No Republican candidates were present.
The Rev Walter Thomas and President Clinton urged all the congregation to go to the polls and bring their friends. While neither man told people how to vote, the message was pretty clear for the all-black congregation.
President Clinton cited the Bible in his address from the pulpit. "There are only two places - only two - where we have fulfilled both the admonition of the Scripture and the promise of the founders that all of us are created equal. One is when you come into your house of worship on Sunday and the other is when you show up at the ballot box."
Blacks have been among the most staunch defenders of President Clinton since the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke. The Rev Jesse Jackson has visited the White House to pray with the president and his wife and daughter, and other black pastors have emphasised the importance of forgiveness for those who repent.
Since his election in 1992 with the support of 89 per cent of black voters, Mr Clinton has shown his personal commitment to ending racial prejudice. The Nobel Prizewinning black novelist Toni Morrison recently said of Mr Clinton that "white skin notwithstanding, this is our first black president".
Denouncing the indictment of Mr Clinton in the Starr report and much of the media, Ms Morrison said it was a "sustained, bloody arrogant coup d'etat". The presidency "is being stolen from us and the people know it".
Republicans have not given up on trying to attract black voters, especially those who have moved to more affluent suburbs and those who believe that the Democrats often just play lip service to ending racial prejudice. It was noted that of 70 Democratic nominees for governor or senator before this election, only one was black.
Even Mr Jackson was critical of lacklustre efforts in the early stages by Democratic political leaders to energise the black vote. Black Democrats have been angry at the way their support is taken for granted, according to the former mayor of Atlanta, Mr Maynard Jackson.