Buttigieg to Attend Martin Luther King Day Commemoration

(Bloomberg) -- Pete Buttigieg will attend an important Martin Luther King Day celebration in South Carolina on Monday after Democrats in the state voiced concern that his absence from the event would be disrespectful to black voters there.

The former South Bend, Indiana, mayor had been the only top-tier Democratic candidate not planning to attend the annual event, “King Day at the Dome,” on the steps of the state capitol in Columbia. He had planned to spend Monday at a King Day event in South Bend before traveling to Iowa for a forum addressing issues important to voters of color.

Buttigieg has changed his schedule because he “wants to make clear his commitment to earning the support and trust of every voter in South Carolina, including those of the African-American community who consistently serve as the base of our party,” Lauren Brown, his South Carolina communications director, said in a statement.

Buttigieg has struggled to attract black voters, who are expected to make up two-thirds of primary voters in South Carolina. Nationally, he only has about 2% support from Democratic black voters, according to a Washington Post-Ipsos poll this month.

Amy Klobuchar had also not initially intended to attend, but she altered her plans late Friday so that she could make a stop in South Carolina on Monday ahead of her speaking slot at the Iowa forum.

South Carolina Democrats had told Bloomberg News and written on Twitter that the candidates’ decision not to attend the “King Day at the Dome” reflected their lack of interest in reaching out to black voters across the South.

“What they’re doing is really disrespectful to norms. They wouldn’t miss -- what is it? -- the Iowa steak fry,” Bakari Sellers, a former South Carolina state representative, said of Buttigieg and Klobuchar in an interview with Bloomberg News on Friday.

The other four candidates who appeared on Tuesday’s Democratic debate stage -- Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Tom Steyer -- had all already planned to attend King Day at the Dome. Two other Democratic candidates, Deval Patrick and Tulsi Gabbard, will also be at the event.

(Michael Bloomberg is also seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. He is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.)

To contact the reporter on this story: Jennifer Epstein in Washington at jepstein32@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.net, Max Berley, Linus Chua

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