WASHINGTON _ Internal focus groups conducted by Pete Buttigieg's presidential campaign this summer reveal a key reason why he is struggling with black American voters: some see his sexuality as a problem.
The 21-page report, conducted by the Benenson Strategy Group with black Democratic South Carolina voters in mid-July and obtained exclusively by McClatchy, found that "being gay was a barrier for these voters, particularly for the men who seemed deeply uncomfortable even discussing it. ... (T)heir preference is for his sexuality to not be front and center."
While the report stated that Buttigieg's sexuality was not a "disqualifier" for these voters, some of the focus group participants questioned why Buttigieg even brought it up.
