‘I’m asking for your help’: Buttigieg makes final push in Rock Hill before SC primary
Sonny Dodds, 19, sat in the back row of chairs in Rock Hill’s Sports and Event Center. Her friend, Alexis Stenger, 21, sat beside her. Both Winthrop students were there Thursday evening to hear former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg speak — two days before South Carolina’s first-in-the-South presidential primary.
Both planned to vote in the primary, but they were undecided. Stenger, who wore a maroon Winthrop shirt, liked Buttigieg. And Dodds, in a tie-dye T-shirt, was between Buttigieg and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders — who has claimed wins in the three early state primaries.
“I am not very informed about the political structure right now,” Dodds said. “I just came to be better informed. I am a Democrat and obviously, Saturday is really important.”
And it was as if Buttigieg, who was fifth in South Carolina with 6% from a recent Monmouth poll, knew there were undecided voters, like Dodds and Stenger, in the crowd of nearly one thousand.
Buttigieg, who nearly tied with Sanders in Iowa, finished second in New Hampshire and third in Nevada, is second behind Sanders in total delegates won. He made his final push Thursday to win over Rock Hill voters ahead of South Carolina’s turn to weigh in on the nomination. He even secured an endorsement from former York County Democratic Party Chair Amy Hayes at the event.
“That’s why I’m here,” Buttigieg, who has campaigned in Rock Hill twice before, told the crowd. “One more time to look you in the eye and to ask you for your support. If you’re already on board, I’m here to thank you and urge you to spread that word to everybody you know.”
A section in the crowd stood and chanted, “I am Team Pete.”
“Team Pete is looking pretty strong,” Buttigieg said. The group didn’t stop.
“If you’re still making up your mind though, then I’m here to try to convince you and offer a picture of where it is I believe that we can go together because so much is in your hands.”
Buttigieg went on to criticize President Donald Trump.
“I want to begin by inviting you to picture a debate stage where this president is held to account by somebody who can go toe to toe with him,” he said. “A president who likes to talk about the forgotten men and women and says that he cares about the working class but then, when you look at the economic policies, the only economic promise he’s kept has been to cut taxes for corporations and the wealthiest among us.”
The crowd cheered.
Dodds said she supports Sanders’ social policies, but she thinks the country needs a more moderate candidate, like Buttigieg.
“I think a lot of politics are usually people saying what the masses want to hear,” she said. “If what (Buttigieg) says and what he stands by makes sense, then I’ll be convinced. But obviously, were college kids, so selfishly whatever benefits us the most will help, too.”
“He has a thing on students,” Stenger added. She was referring to Buttigieg’s plan to forgive student debt in certain circumstances.
“Oh, I like that,” Dodds added.
Michelle Freeman, 60, also went to see Buttigieg Thursday with her husband. Freeman, from Rock Hill, sat three rows in front of Buttigieg. Her back seized up while she was waiting in line, so she wiggled in her chair to get comfortable.
“So far, I like how he’s speaking,” she said. “I like how he’s speaking to the reality of things.”
But just like Dodds and Stenger, she hadn’t picked a candidate. She wants a candidate who will consider the budget deficit when putting policies in place. She does like that Buttigieg, who is gay, doesn’t let his sexuality define him.
“This is 2020,” she said. “People’s sexuality and what other people want to do is their business. Who am I to judge others? I appreciate that he has the courage to live life and he’s like, ‘If you don’t like it, then you don’t like it.’”
During his talk, Buttigieg touted his “Medicare For All Who Want It” proposal, designed to build on Obama’s Affordable Care Act, and his “Douglass Plan,” intended to dismantle “racist structures and systems.” He even pointed out the difference between his campaign and front-runner Sanders’.
“There is a real difference in approach though on how I want to do this that’s different from my friend Senator Sanders,” Buttigieg said. “I respect the ideals that he’s speaking about. But I believe that at a time like this, we’ve got to earn the presidency by calling people in — not by calling people names online.”
By the end of the event, Stenger and Dodds waived “Boot-Edge-Edge” signs. And Freeman held a “South Carolina for Pete” sign above her head.
“I’m seeking this office because of a belief, a conviction about what it is for,” he said. “I believe the presidency has a purpose. And the purpose of the presidency is not to glorify the president. It is to unify and empower the American people. That’s why I’m asking for your help.”
The crowd stood and chanted, “President Pete.”
“And that’s what everybody here has the chance to make happen on Saturday,” he said.
Stenger and Dodds left the event early. But Freeman stayed through the end and made up her mind on who to vote for. Buttigieg convinced her.
This story was originally published February 27, 2020 at 11:17 PM with the headline "‘I’m asking for your help’: Buttigieg makes final push in Rock Hill before SC primary."
