which is not the most diverse state in the country, has been very strong. you know, the way elections work is if you win -- can work, at least, is if you win those early voting states, that gives you this burst of momentum, the kind of thing folks like us love to talk about once we get into the heat of this thing, and that can help convince other voters in other parts of the country that you are electable. it's unclear whether that will happen for mayor pete buttigieg, but i think that's part of what his campaign is banking on. i think some non-white voters either don't know him, so his campaign thinks they also have to raise his name identification to get those communities to know him. i think there are some concerns about his record in south bend, and i think there are some concerns about the fact that he would be the first gay president. so those are all issues that he has been tackling and will continue to have to address with those communities if he wants to boost his numbers --