During the 2020 Democratic Primary, Jim Clyburn, when considering an endorsement for president of the United States, cited Pete Buttigieg's sexual orientation as an issue in endorsing the candidate, saying it was "no question" that his sexuality would hurt his popularity and that "knew a lot of people [his age that felt that way." Adding to the comments, Clyburn stated "I'm not going to sit here and tell you otherwise, because I think everybody knows that's an issue." In the wake of Clyburn's comments, then-candidate Kamala Harris dismissed his comments as "nonsense" and "a trope" of the African American community. However, the Benson Strategy Group reported that "being gay was a barrier for these voters, particularly for the men who seemed uncomfortable discussing it."