In the age of equality, politicians cannot play the race card with impunity because norms of racial equality prohibit racist speech. At the same time, incentives to appeal to white voters remain strong. The result is that politicians often resort to more subtle uses of race to win elections. The Race Card: Campaign Strategy, Implicit Messages, and the Norm of Equality deals with the nuances of political communication, race, public opinion, and political psychology. Did, for example, George Bush's use of the Willie Horton story during the 1988 presidential campaign communicate effectively when no one noticed its racial meaning? Do politicians routinely evoke racial stereotypes, fears, and resentments without voters' awareness? I argue the answer is “yes” to all of these questions. Politicians continue to play the race card, using terms like “welfare” and “crime” to manipulate voters’ sentiments, then they manage to plausibly deny that they are doing so.