Overview
- Pete Buttigieg traveled to South Carolina for campus visits, fundraisers and an NAACP dinner to reintroduce himself to Black voters he struggled to win in 2020.
- He received a markedly warmer reception than in his first White House bid, including standing ovations from local audiences who credited him with bringing federal dollars to the state.
- Local leaders highlighted a $22.7 million federal grant tied to an Orangeburg downtown project that they say Buttigieg helped secure while he led the Department of Transportation.
- Buttigieg has not decided to run for president again and told reporters he is focused on 2026, but his recent events had the trappings of early presidential groundwork.
- South Carolina’s new role as the first nominating contest and worries about weakened voting-rights protections make these visits a concrete test of whether Buttigieg can win and represent Black voters, and observers will watch for sustained retail engagement and follow-up commitments.