Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, held campaign events in the Central Valley city of Fresno on Monday in an attempt to improve his support among Latino voters.

As the San Francisco Chronicle reported, Buttigieg “headed to Fresno for what was billed as a meet-and-greet with voters in the Latino-dominated Central Valley city that is five times as large as the one he’s mayor of — South Bend, Ind., population 102,245. And then he headed to Fresno State University to be interviewed on a live town hall televised by MSNBC, a network popular among coastal liberals.”

Buttigieg is gaining traction in the media, but struggling among minority voters. Last month, a poll showed him with no support among black voters in South Carolina, a key early primary state.

Over the weekend, Buttigieg mused privately about his struggles with minority voters, according to NBC News, which obtained a recording of his comments at a fundraiser in San Francisco.

Frontrunner Joe Biden is counting on his service as President Barack Obama’s vice president to shore up his popularity among black voters, though controversial elements of his past — such as his opposition to school desegregation and false claim about participation in civil rights marches — could dent that support.

The California primary is more important to Democrats this year, since it will take place in March instead of June. Delegates will be awarded proportionally according to a complex formula that includes both statewide results and results in each individual congressional district.

Other Democratic candidates have visit the area, including former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro. (President Donald Trump visited in 2017.)

The Los Angeles Times noted Tuesday: “[T]hese days, California’s interior is a destination, not a pass-through. Three Democrats — Buttigieg, former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke and former U.S. Housing Secretary Julián Castro — have campaigned in the valley so far, leaving some residents giddy at the unusual attention.”

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. He is also the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, which is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.

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