Democrat presidential candidate Mayor Pete Buttigieg said his experience of being gay helps him connect with the black voters whom he needs to overcome former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
However it appears black voters do not feel the same way about Buttigieg.
“A new Quinnipiac University poll of South Carolina voters found South Bend, Ind. mayor Pete Buttigieg still at zero percent among black voters,” National Review reported on November 18.
BYPASS THE CENSORS
Sign up to get unfiltered news delivered straight to your inbox.
You can unsubscribe any time. By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use
Speaking Wednesday at the Democrat candidates’ debate hosted by MSNBC, Buttigieg said “I welcome the challenge of connecting with black voters in America who don’t know me.”
Bloomberg News reported on Buttigieg’s challenges on winning over black voters last month:
Buttigieg’s Douglass Plan aims to “dismantle racist structures and systems” and calls for a range of criminal justice reforms including abolishing the death penalty, reducing sentences for drug offenses, and legalizing marijuana.
…
Buttigieg, moreover, is gay, and his sexual orientation may be a hurdle, as evidenced by a focus group of black voters in South Carolina convened by the Buttigieg campaign that found that his marriage to a man was “uncomfortable” for some voters. McClatchy’s State newspaper of Colombia, South Carolina, first reported on the results of the focus group.
A 2017 Pew Research Center poll showed the share of African Americans who favor same sex marriage was 51%. That’s up from 39% in 2015, but lagged the 62% support among Americans overall.
