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'A Heavy Lift': Religious Black Voters Weigh Buttigieg's Bid

Meg Kinnard/AP Photo

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — In South Carolina, many religious black voters are facing a conflict between a cultural openness for same-sex marriage and their deeply held biblical convictions that could impede support for the 2020 race's only gay candidate: Pete Buttigieg.

The historically diverse field of Democratic presidential hopefuls is overflowing with options. But it is also forcing conversations about the roles that gender, race and, for the first time, sexuality should play in voters' decisions.

The South Bend, Indiana, mayor married his husband, Chasten, in 2018.

In addition to his overt expressions of his Christian faith, Buttigieg also has offered a broad policy agenda for African Americans and has been outspoken on the issue of race. This month, he became the first 2020 Democratic candidate to hire a faith outreach director.