Pete Buttigieg still the 'longest of long shots'? Maybe not anymore.

[babylonsister]

https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/local/pete-buttigieg-still-the-longest-of-long-shots-maybe-not/article_d682dae0-461c-5b93-809e-2e707fc90346.html


Pete Buttigieg still the 'longest of long shots'? Maybe not anymore.
By Jeff Parrott
South Bend Tribune 58 min ago


SOUTH BEND — Willow Weatherall realized immediately that Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s presidential ambitions were drawing wide interest, from across the country, when she attended his campaign launch April 14 at the former Studebaker assembly plant.

In the tightly packed, cold and wet venue, as people stood for three hours waiting for Buttigieg to speak, she found herself wedged between men who had come from Hawaii and Colorado. Throughout the event, it seemed like she met people from every state.

Still, she wasn’t quite expecting what’s happened now, more than six months later.

Buttigieg, described earlier this year as the "longest of long shots" by former Barack Obama strategist David Axelrod, has climbed into the top tier of Democratic candidates vying for the presidential nomination. As a field that started with two dozen candidates has narrowed, the ambitious candidacy of South Bend's 37-year-old mayor is now...maybe not a long shot.

Buttigieg, propelled by strong fundraising and debate performances, is proving to doubters that he won't fade quickly in the party's quest to unseat President Donald Trump. In fact, he's now seen as a potential winner in Iowa, the nation's first primary voting state.

snip//

Multiple accounts of Friday night's Liberty and Justice Celebration dinner in Des Moines, where Buttigieg and 12 other candidates spoke, noted that Buttigieg brought in the largest crowd, which stretched for blocks.

Asked if she thinks Buttigieg is still the “longest of long shots,” Reynolds quickly responded, “Absolutely not.”

“If you’re in Iowa," she said, "you can really feel the momentum building."

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. He still has naysayers, folks who think his sexuality or the way he's run South Bend...

...are problematic.

You can't please everybody, and I think he's doing very well.

[Mme. Defarge]

2. No experience at the national level

or even the state level. Most importantly, no foreign policy experience.

Great political future however.

[babylonsister]

3. He was a soldier.

That counts.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/17/politics/buttigieg-military-service-2020/index.html
Buttigieg wields his military credentials: 'It's not like I killed Bin Laden,' but it was dangerous
By Jeff Zeleny, Senior Washington Corre

[Capt. America]

4. Although I am a support of Pete, I can't help but think a lot of America is not "ready" for

a gay man running the country. I hope he can prove me wrong because I love his calm and intelligent demeanor.

[k2qb3]

5. Maybe not now, but...

give Trump a year running against a likable gay man.

He wouldn't be able to help himself, he'd alienate everyone outside his base.