Presidential candidate and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D) will not attend Rep. James Clyburn’s (D-S.C.) candidate fish fry this weekend, and will instead stay in his city for a march following a police-involved shooting last week.
Buttigieg’s campaign confirmed to The Hill that the mayor will travel from Miami — where he will be attending the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) conference — to South Bend for the march on Friday evening.
{mosads}The mayor took himself off of the campaign trail for several days after a white police officer in South Bend shot and killed a black man on Sunday.
Eric Jack Logan reportedly approached the police officer, who was not wearing a body camera, with a knife before the officer shot him.
The shooting is being investigated by the St. Joseph prosecutor’s office.
News of Buttigieg’s absence from the fish fry comes as the rest of the Democratic presidential field descend upon the Palmetto State for the event, which will likely be the largest gathering of the 2020 candidates so far this election cycle.
The fish fry has become a go-to event for presidential candidates every four years. It ranks among other South Carolina Democratic events like the Democratic Party Blue Palmetto dinner, the South Carolina Democratic Party Convention and a Planned Parenthood Action Fund forum.
The South Carolina primary, which is the third Democratic presidential contest, is seen as a crucial race, especially given the influence of African American voters, who make up 61 percent of the state’s primary electorate.