Black Democratic lawmaker on Buttigieg: ‘Pete has a black problem’

Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio), a former chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, says that White House hopeful Pete Buttigieg has a serious problem with African American voters.

“Pete has a black problem,” Fudge told the Daily Beast, referring to the South Bend, Ind., mayor. “I don’t know of one black person out of Indiana that supports him.”

Her comments come amid increased scrutiny on Buttigieg’s record with and polling among black voters.

{mosads}He took a break from the campaign trail last week to address the fallout of a recent police shooting of a black man in South Bend.

Buttigieg faced a barrage of criticism from South Bend’s African American residents during a public forum Sunday following the fatal shooting.

“It was a painful but needed conversation,” Buttigieg said Monday of the town hall, which grew increasingly heated as black residents questioned the mayor’s handling of racism in the city’s police force.

“And I feel overwhelmed and heartened by the number of people — supporters and critics — who have reached out and made it clear over the past week that they want to join hands and face these problems together.”

The town hall was held a week after Eric Logan, an African American man, was killed by Sgt. Ryan O’Neill. During the town hall, Buttigieg said he takes responsibility for the incident. 

When he was in South Bend on Friday, a woman confronted Buttigieg about his desire to win over black voters in the city.

“You’re running for president and you want black people to vote for you?” the woman said. “That’s not going to happen.”

“Ma’am, I’m not asking for your vote,” Buttigieg responded.

When presented with Buttigieg’s comments, Fudge told the Daily Beast that they depict a sense of “arrogance” and “entitlement.”