Buttigieg's rocky record on race gets a closer look

Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg is facing a more intense spotlight on his past leadership on issues of race and policing as he tries to translate his strong showing in Iowa and New Hampshire into support in more diverse states.Buttigieg, who spent eight years as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has tripped up in recent days as he was grilled about his record, including the racial disparity in marijuana arrests in South Bend and decisions that led to him having no African American leaders in his administration during a crucial stretch of his tenure in a city where more than a quarter of residents are black. “How do you explain the increase in black arrests in South Bend under your leadership for marijuana possession?” she pressed.Buttigieg then cited a different statistic, overall drug arrests, that spun his record in a more favorable light, prompting a rebuke from Davis to answer the question she had asked.He ultimately blamed the disparity on a strategy his city had adopted to target gun violence and gang violence.The next morning, former Vice President Joe Biden released a withering attack ad that highlighted decisions Buttigieg made to push out the black police chief and fire chief.An investigation by The Associated Press, published last month, found that South Bend Fire Chief Howard Buchanon retired from the department shortly after Buttigieg took office in 2012 because the new mayor chose a different chief.