Stephen A. Smith Hilariously Dismisses Dem Candidate’s Presidential Bid

On HBO’s Real Time, ESPN host and political commentator Stephen A. Smith threw cold water on former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s 2028 presidential hopes, bluntly saying, “He doesn’t move us,” when asked about Buttigieg’s lack of support among black voters.

Despite early polls from Emerson College and others showing Buttigieg among the top Democratic contenders — trailing only Vice President Kamala Harris in the Race To The White House average — a June Emerson poll found zero black respondents backing him. That poses a major problem, as black voters are a key bloc in South Carolina’s first Democratic primary.

Smith praised Buttigieg’s intelligence and character but stressed that he fails to connect with black voters, a gap that could sink his campaign before it starts.

Harris currently leads with 21.1%, though her path is clouded by donor hesitation after a disappointing 2024 run. California Governor Gavin Newsom sits in third at 12%, building his profile with high-profile visits to battleground states and criticism of the Trump administration.