Pete Buttigieg is trying to overcome terrible poll numbers among minorities and win over black voters in the South

• South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg focused on criminal justice reform over the weekend in South Carolina, during which he attempted to make inroads with black voters in the politically crucial southern state. 
• Black voters are an important part of the Democratic party's voting base, and are particularly key to winning southern states like South Carolina, where they made up the majority of Democratic primary voters in 2016. 
• Recent polls have showed Buttigieg struggling with minority voters.
• Buttigieg outlined his stances on criminal justice reform, which include getting rid of mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenses, ending the death penalty, reforming sentencing guidelines, legalizing marijuana, and dismantling the private prison system. 
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South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg focused on criminal justice reform over the weekend in South Carolina, during which he attempted to make inroads with black voters in the politically crucial southern state. 

The Midwesterner said he supports getting rid of mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenses, ending the death penalty, reforming sentencing guidelines, legalizing marijuana, policing reform, and dismantling the private prison system. 

Buttigieg, who's so far struggled to gain traction among black voters, visited South Carolina State University, a historically black public college, and privately met with African American leaders in Charleston. He admitted after a town hall of 600 largely white voters in North Charleston, which is 50% black, that he had "a lot of work to do" to win support from African Americans. 

"We need to be a campaign that models - in every respect - in our makeup, in our practices, in our support and in our conduct the increasingly democratic and the increasingly diverse country that this nation is becoming," Buttigieg said.

According to a recent CNN poll of 2020 Democratic candidates, 10% of white respondents selected Buttigieg as their top choice in the field, while just 3% of non-white voters supported the former mayor. While the CNN poll did not break out black respondents specifically, previous polling has also shown Buttigieg's weakness with black Democrats.

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Black voters are a crucial part of the Democratic party's voting base, and are particularly key to performing well in southern states like South Carolina, where they made up the majority of Democratic primary voters in 2016. 

Buttigieg has made some other efforts recently to reach black Democrats, speaking at the National Action Network Convention in New York City in April, and lunching with civil rights leader Al Sharpton in Harlem, during which the two reportedly discussed voting rights, criminal justice reform, and marijuana legalization. 

"I believe an agenda for black Americans needs to include five things that all of us care about: homeownership, entrepreneurship, education, health, and justice," Buttigieg said during a speech at the April convention, which was also organized by Sharpton.

But Buttigieg hasn't staked out the most progressive positions on criminal justice issues in the 2020 field. Last month, he said he doesn't believe incarcerated felons should retain their right to vote - breaking from Sen. Bernie Sanders on the issue. 

And a few other 2020 Democrats, including Sens. Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, are making criminal justice reform central to their candidate platforms. Booker is widely viewed as a leader on the issue, authoring a bill to legalize marijuana on the federal level and pushing efforts to reverse mass incarceration in state prisons. 

A scrutinized record in South Bend

Buttigieg has also been scrutinized over his handling of issues affecting communities of color during has also been scrutinized as mayor of South Bend, which is 27% black and 13% Hispanic. 

Many in the Indiana city's black community were infuriated when Buttigieg fired the city's first black police chief in 2011 after discovering the chief was under FBI investigation for taping conversations between police officers. It later came out that the white officers allegedly used racist language in discussing the chief. 

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Buttigieg has also faced criticism for his approach to the issue of homelessness, and for a program he undertook as mayor to repair or demolish abandoned homes that disproportionately affected communities of color. 

As part of the 1,000 Houses in 1,000 Days initiative, code enforcement officials reportedly charged homeowners in less affluent neighborhoods thousands of dollars for violations including overgrown lawns and leaving trash outside their homes.