by Matthew Rusling

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- African American voters are once again a crucial bloc for Hillary Clinton as she strives to gain Democratic Party's nomination for the 2016 race to the White House.

The former first lady and secretary of state has been engaged in a tough battle against Senator Bernie Sanders in recent weeks. While Sanders has put up a fight, Clinton has a secret weapon of African American voters -- a crucial voting bloc that has supported her for decades.

Some African American voters have even gone so far as to describe former President Bill Clinton, a white man and Hillary's husband, to be the country's first black president, as he paid special attention to the demographic group during his time in the White House.

"African Americans are absolutely crucial for Hillary Clinton," Brookings Institution's senior fellow Darrell West told Xinhua.

Echoing such thoughts, Julian Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University, said that the African American bloc is "an important part of Clinton's coalition, and a pocket of support" that will be pretty reliable in competitive states.

Zelizer told Xinhua that there are a number of reasons why this demographic group is important for the Clinton campaign, with the most basic belief that Hillary Clinton will have the best chance of making real, tangible gains among African American voters.

"There is probably also some concern that a vote for Sanders is in some ways a vote for (GOP front runner Donald) Trump," Zelizer said.

Compared with Sanders, West said Clinton has not run well among young people and the Democratic Party's progressive base, but she is winning the African American vote by a three-to-one margin over Sanders.

"Without the strong support of that group, she would be in big trouble. That vote is especially valuable in the upcoming Southern states, where African Americans constitute a major part of the Democratic electorate," the fellow said.

"African Americans support (Hillary Clinton) because of the strong stances Bill and Hillary Clinton have taken over the years on issues of concern to the minority community. This includes support for boosting education, providing affordable healthcare, and encouraging opportunity for all Americans," West said.

He noted that Bill Clinton was described in the 1990s by African American writer Toni Morrison as the first black president because of his affinity for African American voters.

For Clinton, it will be important to clinch the African American vote in the general election, should she gain her party's nomination, according to West. The demographic group is one of the most reliable voting blocs for Democrats.

"She (Clinton) cannot win the presidency without strong support and a solid turnout from those individuals," West said.

The African American vote would also be crucial to Clinton if she faces off Republican frontrunner Donald Trump should the latter clinches the Republican Party's nomination.

While some African American voters said they like Trump's in-your-face stance on some issues, West doubted that they would significantly side with him, adding that they would likely remain loyal to Clinton.

"Some African Americans like Trump's tough talk, but it would be surprising if he got more than 10 percent of that vote. Democrats have won at least 90 percent of the African American vote in presidential elections going back over three decades," he said. "It will be hard for Trump to make inroads there."

Clinton started the primary season on shaky ground, losing to Sanders in the recent New Hampshire primaries, as the socialist Sanders has appealed to young voters and those who believe the economy has left them behind.

But Clinton has fared much better in recent weeks. Experts believe that she will have the advantage going forward.