African Americans say presidential candidates are missing basic connections
It was a big day for Sen. Bernie Sanders and South Carolina’s Legislative Black Caucus, so Brenda Lee Pryce carted her family’s china to Mount Moriah Baptist Church early, then donned an apron to make sure the chicken salad, croissants and pound cake were up to par and other details were perfect.
When Sanders arrived that day, April 18, he spoke for a half-hour about prison reform, economic inequality and educational disparities. But for Pryce, the most telling thing was what he said to her and the other volunteers darting in and out of the kitchen. Namely, nothing.
“I was surprised that his staff didn’t have him go back there, or that he didn’t do it on his own,” said Pryce, a former state legislator. “They just need some manners. We’re Southerners. We’re going to serve you something nice. We’re going to be pleasant, but you better believe there’s power in that kitchen.”
As the 20-plus Democratic hopefuls traipse across South Carolina, black voters are absorbing more than policy positions and applause lines. They’re also taking note of social miscues and ignored niceties that, as Pryce said in an interview, “show you’re coming to the black community just because you have to.”
In a testament to that community’s importance, at least two presidential candidates — former vice president Joe Biden and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg — are heading to South Carolina this weekend. Biden remains popular with many black voters, while some have expressed reservations about Buttigieg, but the visits are an important moment for both.
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Former congressman Beto O’Rourke (D-Tex.) has talked extensively about his privilege as a white man, but some black voters at his events complain that he hasn’t offered concrete solutions to address racial disparities. And several of the presidential campaigns have angered their South Carolina-based temporary staffers by quibbling over items such as meal reimbursements.
African Americans make up a majority of the Democratic electorate in this early-primary state, and whoever wins them over next February will get an invaluable boost heading into other Southern state primaries the following month.
But as the candidates crisscross the state, some have exhibited a clumsiness and lack of sophistication that’s leaving black voters underwhelmed. This weekend could provide an early indication of whether Biden’s entry will clarify this landscape or muddy it.
