Internal focus groups conducted by Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign this summer reveal a possible reason why he is struggling with African-American voters: some see his sexuality as a problem.
The 21-page report, conducted by the Benenson Strategy Group with black Democratic South Carolina voters in mid-July and obtained exclusively by McClatchy, found that
“being gay was a barrier for these voters, particularly for the men who seemed deeply uncomfortable even discussing it. …
https://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/article236516903.htmlMany African Americans and Latinos, important segments of the Democratic base, harbor long-held concerns about marriage equality and other LGBT rights. IndyStar reached out to more than a dozen religious, political, academic and community leaders to discuss this issue. The consensus is that attitudes are changing but also that it very much remains a challenge for Buttigieg's campaign.
Polling backs that up. Support for same-sex marriage among African Americans and Hispanics is well below the three-quarters of Democrats overall who do.
https://www.indystar.com/story/news...problem-for-south-bend-mayor/3741727002/Joe Darby, a prominent pastor in Charleston, S.C., was discussing the Democratic presidential field with fellow clergymen when Pete Buttigieg’s name came up. A fellow pastor quickly interjected.
“Isn’t that the dude who kissed his husband on TV?” the person asked skeptically, according to Darby.
The exchange highlights a major obstacle for Buttigieg, who’s vaulted into the top tier of Democratic candidates without gaining traction among African Americans, according to recent surveys of national and South Carolina Democrats. But as the mayor of South Bend, Ind., devotes more effort to campaigning for black votes in the South and elsewhere, he will have to break down some resistance over his sexual orientation, particularly among older voters, according to interviews with more than a dozen African American activists, political strategists and clergy, as well as a review of public polling.
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/15/pete-buttigieg-black-voters-1322396