A recent poll by the Post & Courier demonstrated something my black activist and political friends and I had been saying for weeks: Mayor Pete Buttigieg has a black voter problem. Most starkly, the poll reveals that Mayor Pete has nearly no support among black voters in South Carolina, where they make up two-thirds of the Democratic primary electorate. So any momentum Buttigieg gains in Iowa and New Hampshire (where black people constitute 2 and 3 per cent of the electorate respectively) will be halted in South Carolina, causing him to limp into Super Tuesday (Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Minnesota, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia) after a crushing, highly visible defeat.

Unless, that is, Buttigieg addresses his issues with black voters now.

How did Mayor Pete get into this situation? Like many others, my first impressions of Mayor Pete during the election for head of the Democratic National Committee left me impressed both with his narrative and his intelligent, relatable speaking style. Then I discovered that South Bend, Indiana has one of the highest murder rates in America, and that still other indicators of prosperity has the city below national averages and indeed Indiana averages. Whether you’re looking at home ownership, educational attainment, unemployment, or income, Mayor Pete’s town is not in great shape.

Add to these issues of concern to black voters the fact that out of all of the people running for president, only Mayor Pete and President Trump have ever been personally sued for racial discrimination. The fact that this is not disqualifying to white Democrat voters is discouraging to many black voters.

My white friends saw Pete’s CNN Town Hall and were enamored with him. On the other hand, my black friends and I bristled when he discussed his demotion of a black police chief and casually dismissed the movement to permit inmates to vote.

For these reasons it does not do to chalk up Mayor Pete’s problems with the black electorate as some expression of a homophobia allegedly pervading the black community. It is true that discussions over LGBTQ justice sometimes become more fraught among black people who struggle to transcend the anti-gay biases of the Baptist church, for example. But many of the black activists and politicos I know are gay, lesbian, trans, fluid, or allies. To ignore their criticism of Mayor Pete out of a suspicion that they are actually speaking from a position of bigotry would be lethal to his candidacy.

How can Mayor Pete overcome these problems reaching black voters? He is one of the most talented orators in this crowded election field. When President Obama was presented with the words of Reverend Wright, he did not run away or try to sidestep the charge that Wright’s full-throated venting of black anger somehow reflected poorly upon Obama. Instead he faced it directly with a powerful speech in Philadelphia, telling us all that where race in America is concerned, “we have to make a way out of no way.”

The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions’ testimony. She has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord Vice News The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that “healthcare should be a right, not a privilege” Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a “special meaning” for the Latino community in the US Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty

Pete is mayor of a city that is one quarter black. He served in the military, where people of color make up 43 per cent of the men and 53 per cent of the women. In some ways, he should be uniquely qualified to address race in America.

If I were advising Pete, I would suggest he release a list of potential nominees to the United States Supreme Court, a list full of black men and women. Justice Thomas is the longest serving justice and has failed to live up to the legacy of Thurgood Marshall. A list comprising qualified black men and women would be a strong signal of Mayor Buttigieg’s commitment to black voters.

At this point I support Senator Elizabeth Warren, because her constant roll-out of policy positions has produced a vision of America worthy of my daughter. Buttigieg does not have to be Warren, but he needs to acknowledge with empathy the concerns that animate black voters like me. His voice might be the most important on that debate stage: an openly gay man talking about an America that works for all of us. This is a voice our country has never heard from such a stage before. Unfortunately, unless he changes course, 20 per cent of the electorate will not see themselves in his vision of our country.