Politics
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New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio told Pete Buttigieg to "show some humility."
- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio lashed out at his former Democratic rival, South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, on following Bernie Sanders' Nevada primary win.
- "Try to not be so smug when you just got your ass kicked," de Blasio tweeted at Buttigieg, who finished third in the state.
- De Blasio earlier in February endorsed Sanders' bid for the Oval Office.
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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio didn't have anything kind to say about former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg on Saturday night, sending a series of tweets in defense of his endorsed candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders who cemented his frontrunner status after winning in Nevada's Democratic caucuses.
Following his third-place finish behind Sanders and Biden in the Nevada race, the third major contest of the 2020 election, Buttigieg condemned the Vermont senator and his supporters.
"I believe that we can bring an end to corporate recklessness and bring balance to our economy by empowering workers, raising wages, and insisting that those who gain the most must contribute the most in order to keep the American Dream going forward," Buttigieg said. "But that is different from Sen. Sanders' vision of capitalism as the root of all evil, that would go beyond reform and reorder the economy in ways most Democrats - not to mention most Americans - don't support."
The New York City mayor De Blasio, who dropped his "longshot" presidential bid last September and earlier in February announced his endorsement for Sanders' White House bid, said that Buttigieg didn't "understand the moment" Sanders "has built," adding it "reflects the true values" and "hope of working people in America."
"They simply want a country that puts working people first," de Blasio added. "Your critique tonight speaks for the American elite, not the majority."
As Vox noted, entrance polls conducted at Saturday's Nevada caucus indicated that both Buttigieg and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar performed poorly among the state's Black population, which make up 11% of the caucus-goers in the state.
De Blasio pointed to Buttigieg's low support among racial minorities, directing the 38-year-old president hopeful to "show some humility."
"And hey @PeteButtigieg, try to not be so smug when you just got your ass kicked," de Blasio tweeted Saturday night. "You know how we form a winning coalition to beat Trump? With a true multi-racial coalition of working Americans: something @BernieSanders has proven he can do + you haven't."
The Buttigieg campaign has not returned a Business Insider request for comment.
Saturday's results among Black Americans in Nevada could spell trouble in future states
Buttigieg, who has continued to struggle to gain traction with black voters, ended up receiving about 2% of the African American vote in Nevada, Vox reported. Klobuchar received about 3%, according to the report.
As the primary leaves Nevada, where a Latino support helped Sanders win big, and heads to South Carolina where the black electorate make up a key voting bloc, trailing candidates are ramping up support among African Americans who make up about 27% of the population in the state, according to US Census data.
A recent Winthrop University poll of South Carolina voters found that Buttigieg had just about 1% of support among African Americans there. Former Vice President Joe Biden, who's staked his campaign on support from diverse states and black voters, had the majority of American American support - 31%, according to the poll, which had a margin-of-error of 5.9 percent. Sanders had 17% of support in that poll among African American voters.
South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn said Sunday on ABC's "This Week" that his state's electorate might not support someone who calls himself a socialist, referring to Sanders, a democratic socialist.
"I do believe it will be an extra burden for us to have to carry," Clyburn said. "This is South Carolina, and South Carolinians are pretty leery about that title socialist."
De Blasio had dismissed similar criticisms of Sanders after Nevada.
"Purveyors of Conventional Wisdom are telling us tonight that @BernieSanders can't be elected President because he's different," de Blasio said in a final tweet Saturday night. "Just like they said about Donald Trump. Just like they said about Barack Obama. The truth: you CAN'T be elected in America today UNLESS you're different."
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.@PeteButtigieg, you clearly don't understand the movement @BernieSanders has built. It reflects the true values + hope of working people in America. They simply want a country that puts working people first. Your critique tonight speaks for the American elite, not the majority
- Bill de Blasio (@BilldeBlasio) February 23, 2020