Buttigieg Courts SC Black Voters With Military Record

Reuters reports:

Pete Buttigieg, the only veteran in the top tier of candidates seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, is turning to South Carolina’s large military community to help shore up his nagging lack of support among black voters. The primary on Saturday in the diverse southern state is seen as an important durability test for the 38-year-old former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who has yet to prove he can motivate minority voters and dispel criticism that the economic revitalization in his city bypassed residents of color.

Two-thirds of the Democratic electorate in South Carolina is black. Senior Buttigieg campaign officials say blending his message of uniting a country divided by President Donald Trump with his military veteran status is central to their strategy to make inroads with South Carolina’s black residents, who disproportionately are veterans and active duty service members. Buttigieg has struggled to gain ground with African Americans, a core Democratic constituency.

The last president to have deployed overseas was George H.W. Bush, who fought in World War II.