A recent Emerson College poll showed Buttigieg receiving zero percent support from black respondents when asked about their preferred Democratic nominee for 2028.
Pete Buttigieg has been making the rounds in what could be a possible 2028 presidential campaign, making appearances and engaging with voters since he was Transportation Secretary. However, Buttigieg has one group that he's having trouble winning over: the black vote, a key Democratic voting bloc.
A recent Emerson College poll showed Buttigieg receiving zero percent support from black respondents when asked about their preferred Democratic nominee for 2028. The striking result highlights a longstanding challenge for the South Bend mayor-turned-Cabinet official, who has yet to fully repair his relationship with the black community.
“He’s got one big, glaring soft spot … which is his relationship with the black community,” said a veteran Democratic strategist familiar with party dynamics to The Hill. “He didn’t have a lot of African American fans from his time as mayor, he didn’t have a lot of black support when he ran for president, and I haven’t seen evidence that he’s done much to fix that over the last few years.”
Buttigieg is a popular figure in Democratic circles and has been active on the speaking circuit, including an upcoming appearance at Michigan Democrats’ “Best of the West” event in October. He’s also working on a book, a traditional step for presidential hopefuls, and has been engaging with voters through town halls.
Despite that, he does not do well when polling with black Americans, and because of that, some political analysts say Buttigieg may not be the candidate to unify the Democratic party for a 2028 presidential run.
Princeton professor Julian Zelizer noted, “Part of what Democrats are looking for … is someone who could imagine appealing to working voters and back working voters, Latino working voters, even rural working voters.”
Zelizer said that many see Buttigieg as more aligned with the educated, Obama-era Democratic base. “That’s … baggage he’s going to have to deal with.”
While Buttigieg leads some early polls ahead of a potentially crowded Democratic primary, his challenges with key voter blocs remain a concern for the party as it seeks to rebuild after the 2024 defeat against Trump. Critics have also pointed to past missteps, such as delayed responses to crises like the 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, that have drawn public criticism.
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