Can young black voters save Mayor Pete? by blrshepherd
Columbia, S.C. — The premise for the event was straightforward enough: South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg was set to join a group of volunteers and potential voters celebrating homecoming at Allen University, a historically black college in Columbia, S.C. The setting, too, was prime for mingling: The sprawling, green lawn of the Charles W. Johnson Stadium was expansive, large enough to pack several dozens of guests.
Jeffrey said his coach told them to “stop by.” It was 12:08 p.m. Jeffrey and his friends were some of the first in line to get food. But during his brief statement, Buttigieg did mention the importance of coalition-building, especially with young people: “I hope folks here get to know each other,” said Buttigieg. “We are building community and the community we are building here is part of the relationships that are going to help us win South Carolina, move on to the nomination and replace this president with something that is dramatically better.
Yet that question makes a few assumptions, one being that the black voting block is homogeneous, acting in lock step despite major differences in geography, socioeconomic status and age. Data suggests that assumption is less than impregnable. There’s “potential fluidity” with many young voters, according to John Della Volpe, director of polling at the Harvard Institute of Politics, which specializes in data collection for voters under 30. One example Volpe found is among young supporters of Sen.
Arielle Brandy, a 29-year-old black woman from South Bend, joined Buttigieg to campaign on his behalf at the October cookout, said that coalition building at HBCUs was a “top priority” for the campaign and that homophobia was likely not a barrier for black voters. Offline mobilization efforts are in the works in South Carolina, too, where two dozen volunteers work with their early state team beyond homecoming season at events like debate watch parties to keep the relationship afloat.
During the same debate, Buttigieg addressed the criticism, saying that while he has no experience being a person of color, he’s had the experience of “sometimes feeling like a stranger in my own country” due to his sexuality, a rebuttal that California Sen. Kamala Harris later told reporters was “naive” and “not productive.”
Some criticism is less pop-culture infused. A photo posted to Twitter by Buttigieg’s husband Chasten from Tulane University in New Orleans, a majority black city, was quickly castigated on Twitter for reflecting a lack of diversity.
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