While Barack Obama makes history on the national stage, another black politico is breaking the color barrier in Collin County.

Fred Moses, a local GOP activist since 1980, was elected chairman of the Collin County Republican Party at a Saturday morning meeting of the party’s executive committee. That makes him the first black politician to serve in countywide office in Collin County.

He was selected by a vote of the precinct chairs to replace former chairwoman Kathy Ward. Ms. Ward replaced County Commissioner Jack Hatchell, who died last month of esophageal cancer.

Mr. Moses said he doesn’t believe that race played a part in his appointment to this post. But he said there is probably a benefit to having a black chairman.

“We are wondering how we unify the party,” Mr. Moses said. “How do we put the best foot forward?”

Deinde Peters, who is black and is former president of the Collin County Republican Men’s Club, said Mr. Moses’ election is a symbolic victory.

“It really demonstrates that the party is truly the party of the people,” he said. “We are a big tent party.”

Mr. Peters said Saturday’s vote shows that anyone can rise through the GOP leadership with hard work.

Blacks make up 7.7 percent of Collin County’s population, a smaller proportion than either Asians or Hispanics, according to 2006 U.S. census estimates. But that’s also up significantly from 4.7 percent in the 2000 census.

The county is also described as one of most Republican areas of the nation. Democrats have not held a countywide office — other than county party chair — in more than 20 years, and few run in the general election.

Dan Dodd, chairman of the Collin County Democratic Party, applauded the GOP’s choice.

“We would hope that they would look at minority candidates and give them the same credit,” Mr. Dodd said.

He said Mr. Moses’ race makes for interesting parallels to the presidential campaign. Mr. Obama is the first black major party presidential candidate, and his run for the White House is expected to energize many black voters.

In a recent New York Times/CBS News poll, 89 percent of black voters surveyed said they supported Mr. Obama over his Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain.

Mr. Moses, who was the first president of the African-American Republican Club of Collin County when it was formed in 2005, said there has been a serious effort in recent years to reach out to black voters. He said they tend to be very religious, focused on improving education and opposed to gay marriage. Mr. Moses said those are all traits that sync with the GOP platform.

“There’s a fair number of African-American Republicans in Collin County,” Mr. Moses said.

However, he noted that Collin County’s African-American Republican Club has about 40 members, the same as it did shortly after it was created.

Mr. Peters said it’s been hard to break the Democratic Party hold on the black voter. He said that emphasis on “values” issues is their best chance.

“We’re becoming more issue-oriented rather than having blind allegiance to the party,” Mr. Peters said.

Despite the historic nature of his new office, Mr. Moses played down the racial angle. He said this is a story about a long-time party activist rewarded for nearly 30 years of hard work.

Shannon Reeves, the GOP’s national director for state and local development and head of black outreach efforts, said there are many more black Republicans in leadership positions than the public realizes. He said the GOP simply doesn’t hold news conferences announcing all of them.

Mr. Reeves, who also has held leadership positions in the NAACP, said that Mr. Moses is a party activist who has proven his ability as a fundraiser and organizer and that his ascendancy has nothing to do with race.

“He’s the right guy at the right place at the right time,” Mr. Reeves said.