Pete Buttigieg Courts Black Voters in South Carolina

Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg conducted a weekend tour of South Carolina on August 22 and 23, 2026, to engage Black voters and test support for a potential 2028 presidential bid. The visit follows a similar trip to Nevada and comes after the Democratic National Committee confirmed South Carolina as the first state on the 2028 primary calendar, scheduled for January 22, 2028.

During the tour, Buttigieg raised money in Charleston, attended a state party conference in Florence, and held a round-table with students at Claflin University. In Orangeburg, he addressed an NAACP Freedom Fund dinner, where he received a standing ovation. He highlighted his record of securing federal funding for the state, including a $22.7 million grant for the Railroad Corner development project in Orangeburg.

Buttigieg presented a political vision linking economic issues like housing and healthcare to structural reforms in redistricting and campaign finance, warning that the country is in "big trouble." While he told reporters he is "totally focused on 2026" and visiting as a private citizen to support midterm candidates, the trip marks an effort to repair his standing with Black voters after a fourth-place finish in the 2020 South Carolina primary contributed to his withdrawal from that race.