Pete Buttigieg made his first public appearance in South Carolina since leaving the Biden administration, marking the start of a potential 2028 presidential campaign with targeted outreach to Black voters. The former transportation secretary visited Florence and Columbia over the weekend, delivering speeches to NAACP chapters and historically Black colleges while discussing policy proposals including reparations for slavery.
Buttigieg’s South Carolina visit follows his 2020 primary exit after securing just 4% of the Black vote in the state. He addressed party activists in Florence, warning that Republicans were using redistricting to weaken Black political representation. At a roundtable with students at a historically Black college, he outlined his stance on reparations, and later told the NAACP that Donald Trump’s potential second term could echo civil rights-era struggles in Orangeburg. Buttigieg also criticized fellow Democrats for prioritizing economic issues over democracy-related concerns, arguing that civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Jesse Jackson demonstrated the need to address both.
The 2028 Democratic primary field is expected to include prominent figures such as Vice President Kamala Harris, California Governor Gavin Newsom, and New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, among others. Polling data suggests Buttigieg remains competitive: a Saint Anselm College survey placed him at 25% support among Democratic voters, ahead of Ocasio-Cortez at 17%. An Emerson College poll showed Buttigieg, alongside Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff and Newsom, leading hypothetical matchups against potential Republican nominees like Marco Rubio and JD Vance.
South Carolina’s primary is scheduled for January 2, 2028, positioning the state as the first contest in the nominating process. Jaime Harrison, former DNC chair and South Carolina Democratic Party chairman, emphasized the state’s critical role, stating, “If you can’t win Black voters, you can’t be the nominee of our party.” Buttigieg’s weekend events included standing ovations at an NAACP Freedom Fund dinner and a Black church service, signaling renewed engagement with key Democratic constituencies.