The Daily Beast reports:

A few weeks ago, a prominent black leader posed what seemed like a simple question to South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg during a private meeting: Who in the African-American community back home supports you?

“He didn’t name anybody,” the leader said in an interview with The Daily Beast. “If he’s got young black supporters, they do have names.”

That leader, who requested anonymity to speak openly about a private meeting, was not only referring to young supporters but expressing a sentiment that was apparent in talks with several African-American lawmakers: that Buttigieg’s interactions with the black community in recent weeks were “naïve” and that the national perception of him as “genuine and authentic” was not always translating when it came to their concerns.

“Pete has a black problem,” Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH), the former chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, told The Daily Beast. “I don’t know of one black person out of Indiana that supports him.”

Buttigieg’s friction with African Americans both at home and on the campaign trail were brought into stark relief over the past week as the mayor temporarily paused his presidential campaign to address a fatal incident in South Bend this month. The police shooting of a black man sent the city into a state of raw emotion and opened wounds for many black residents he represents.

The tension reached a flashpoint as Buttigieg arrived in South Bend, which has a significant African-American population, on Friday, when a woman confronted him 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 said they depict a sense of “arrogance” and “entitlement.” [Continue reading…]