© 2026 ABC News

Thigpen, the state representative, told ABC News that he considered the episode even more unsettling than Devine. Thigpen said he told the Buttigieg campaign he is a Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders surrogate when he was approached by the former South Bend, Indiana mayor's campaign staffer to review the Douglass Plan and give his feedback. After reading the content of the plan, he agreed to commend the Buttigieg campaign for attempting to tackle such important issues as the wealth gap.

But he said he made it clear he could not publicly endorse the plan or the candidate.

\"I thought using the word endorsement would be confusing,\" Thigpen recalled, saying that he told the campaign he thought the plan was an important and positive step and would consider making a statement. Though he never sent one, he said a campaign staffer wrote him back requesting approval of quotes they had drafted on his behalf.

\"They sent an email basically saying, if individuals want to opt-out of being listed as an endorser, then they needed to respond to the email by 4 p.m.,\" Thigpen said of the message. \"I didn't see the email and so, of course, I didn't respond to it. So they moved forward with my name.\"

ABC News has seen a forwarded version of the email.

When the press release came out, Thigpen said he was stunned. He said the public affiliation with the Buttigieg campaign would directly conflict with his work on the Sanders campaign.

So he called and asked them to correct the release. He said the campaign was contrite, attributing it to a miscommunication.

\"When it comes to politics and elections, and lending my name, whether it is issuing a quote of support or even an endorsement -- that has value, obviously, or this wouldn't have been a big deal,\" Thigpen said.

After his name was removed from the press release about the plan's support, the state lawmaker said he never heard from Buttigieg.

\"I thought maybe some contact should have been made by the candidate,\" Thigpen said. \"I have not had the opportunity to speak him with in person, or over the phone.\"

\"PHOTO:
John Locher/AP
PHOTO: Democratic presidential candidate former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg embraces Hannah Brown at the Nevada Black Legislative Caucus Black History Awards brunch, Feb. 16, 2020, in Las Vegas.
>

Cordero, the chairman of the Democratic Black Caucus, also was surprised to see his name on the release, even though he has an amicable relationship with Buttigieg.

The chairman recently endorsed Tom Steyer, but at the time of the incident he was not affiliated with any candidate and had been advising all the 2020 campaigns. So, when the campaign reached out to Cordero for a possible endorsement of the Douglass Plan, Cordero said he had been open to considering it but wanted to know whether African Americans helped to draft it. Cordero said the campaign never got back to him.

\"I could not endorse the plan until those questions were answered and the reason is that -- and I said this to (the campaign) -- it is presumptuous for anyone to think they can develop a black agenda for Black America without talking to African Americans,\" Cordero said.

After Cordero notified the campaign of the error, they removed his name from their list of endorsements. Cordero said he does not blame Buttigieg for the incident.

\"I know that candidates are not always knowledgeable of what their campaigns are doing,\" he said.

The campaign tells ABC News that of the eight people who authored the Douglass Plan, five were African American, one was of Asian American or Pacific Islander descent and two were white. The campaigns adds that the plan was reviewed by more than 40 black advocates, academics, and community leaders before its release.

Black business \"partners\"

Diane Cole, the owner of Diane's Kitchen, said she remembers when a Buttigieg staffer asked her if they could hold a small meeting at her restaurant. Eight people including campaign surrogate Ryann Richardson, Miss Black America, met privately at her small black-owned restaurant in Chester, South Carolina, and spent about $90 on lunch.

To Cole, the campaign was simply another customer. But as South Carolina geared up for the first-in-the-South primary, Cole received a call from the Buttigieg campaign asking if they could mention publicly that they had visited her business. Cole said it was fine, but said she made it clear she did not agree to partnerships with the candidate, or his campaign.

One of the emails the campaign sent misspelled her name calling her \"Diana\".

She said that she had never met or spoke with the South Bend Indiana mayor and as a voter she had been trying to decide between two other candidates -- Biden and Bloomberg.

Then on Friday, she saw her name listed in Buttigieg's op-ed -- identifying her restaurant as a partner of his campaign.

Buttigieg campaign officials said they viewed the op-ed as a chance to promote the fact that they were frequenting minority-owned businesses -- not that they had forged a formal relationship Cole's restaurant.

Cole said she did not read it that way, and said she had not consented to the listing. But she brushed it off.

\"It really doesn't bother me, because I know the truth,\" Cole said. \"I don't get mad. I don't stress over stuff like that.\"

The exchange that occurred after ABC News asked the Buttigieg campaign about the discrepancy only seemed to make matters worse, as Cole rejected a series of statements the campaign wanted her to release, emails Cole shared with ABC News show, including the one that misspelled her name.

After four attempts, the emails show they finally agreed on this: \"Diane's Kitchen greatly appreciates, Pete Buttigieg and his campaign forvisiting and supporting my business. We are thankful for their willingness to choose Black owned businesses here in Chester, South Carolina.\"

Another business Buttigieg identified in his op-ed as a partner was the Atlantis Restaurant and Lounge, the site where he held a campaign town hall with radio host and T.V. personality Charlemagne tha God on Jan 23.

\"PHOTO:
Meg Kinnard/AP, FILE
PHOTO: Democratic presidential contender and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg speaks with Charlamagne Tha God during an event on economic struggles in the black community, Jan. 23, 2020, in Moncks Corner, S.C.
>

Christian Dubois, who does public relations with Atlantis, said the restaurant did send a note to Buttigieg's South Carolina press secretary in which they thanked the candidate for selecting the business for its January event.

\"Atlantis restaurant was honored to be selected as the site to host Mayor Pete and Charlemagne for a much-needed conversation on why the next president must invest and not only black business but black people,\" the note read.

Still, owner Wendell Varner said he never expected to be identified as being a partner of the Buttigieg campaign. Varner said he only learned of the newspaper mention when ABC News contacted him to verify his affiliation with the campaign.

\"It's a little disheartening to say that -- that they would say that we have a partnership with them when we don't,\" Varner said. \"We actually don't support any presidential candidate and we try to stay out of politics as a business entity.\"

After ABC News asked the Buttigieg campaign about the Atlantis statement, the campaign contacted ABC News to say the establishment had agreed to say publicly that they were \"proud to partner with Mayor Pete in January.\"

But the restaurant owner followed up with ABC News again, a few hours later, to make clear he was \"not in any type of partnership with the Buttigieg campaign.\" Varner said he would have allowed any campaign to visit.

\"When you say 'partner,' in a sense they paid us to have an event at our restaurant,\" Varner said.

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/Politics/democrat-pete-buttigieg-overstated-pledges-support-black-leaders/story?id=69053705","legacySlug":"/news/story/democrat-pete-buttigieg-overstated-pledges-support-black-leaders-69053705","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"00:01","publishDate":"02-19-2020","updatedTime":"13:12","updatedDate":"02-19-2020","socialImage":{"alt":"Democratic presidential candidate and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg speaks to supporters at his New Hampshire primary night rally in Nashua, N.H., Feb. 11, 2020. ","credit":"Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/Politics/Buttigieg-3-nh-primary-rt-er-200211_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"2/19/2020 00:01:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":69053705,"headline":" Buttigieg overstated support from black leaders\n","mediaAssetTitle":"Buttigieg stumbles over the language of endorsements","description":"Polls show he faces an ongoing challenge finding support from voters of color.","duration":"1:37","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2024/08/240805_vod_pete_buttigieg_v3_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["132306053","132266872","132055565"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"video","date":"April 23, 2026","headline":"Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","section":"News","slug":"/video/132306053","id":"132306053","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"April 22, 2026","headline":"Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","section":"News","slug":"/video/132266872","id":"132266872","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"April 15, 2026","headline":"American influencer found dead in Tanzania","section":"News","slug":"/video/132055565","id":"132055565","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: American influencer found dead in Tanzania","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: American influencer found dead in Tanzania","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":" Buttigieg overstated support from black leaders\n","description":"Polls show he faces an ongoing challenge finding support from voters of color.","duration":"1:37","uploadDate":"02-19-2020","publication":"02-19-2020","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2024/08/240805_vod_pete_buttigieg_v3_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2024/08/240805_vod_pete_buttigieg_v3_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/democrat-pete-buttigieg-overstated-pledges-support-black-leaders-69053705"}},"playlist":[{"id":"132281378","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132283010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132273278","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132231169","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132206748","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132200241","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054443","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054798","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132033010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131912713","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131830583","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131834976","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554765","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554815","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131543053","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131432442","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131121474","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131247079","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131228784","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131178806","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:news:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"news","title":" Buttigieg overstated support from black leaders\n","pubTime":"19:01","pubDate":"02-18-2020","modTime":"08:12","modDate":"02-19-2020","taxonomyTags":"none","id":69053705,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":" Buttigieg overstated support from black leaders\n","mediaAssetTitle":"Buttigieg stumbles over the language of endorsements","videoId":69053705,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/news/story/democrat-pete-buttigieg-overstated-pledges-support-black-leaders-69053705"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/69053705","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/69053705","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};