Vanity Fair: Who the hell is Pete Buttigieg, and how is he polling in third place behind Bernie? 11%

[Celerity]

Buttigieg Boomlet?: Mayor Pete Is Suddenly a Hot Commodity in Iowa

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/03/pete-buttigieg-iowa-polling

For a 37-year-old mayor of a small city in Indiana, Pete Buttigieg’s candidacy is lifting off with startling speed, suddenly omnipresent on Twitter and Facebook but also on cable-news channels where Buttigieg’s smarts and charisma have made him an unlikely media star. The Buttigieg boomlet appears to be having an effect: while the South Bend mayor remains virtually unknown nationally, his profile is rising quickly in key early-voting states. Incredibly, the most recent Emerson University poll in Iowa, released Monday, puts Buttigieg in third place in the Democratic primary field with 11 percent.

Buttigieg, a candidate with a grab bag of admirable qualities for a Democrat—youthful, Midwestern, military vet, Harvard grad—still lags behind frontrunners Joe Biden (25 percent) and Bernie Sanders (24 percent). But now he’s nosing out Kamala Harris (10 percent), Elizabeth Warren (9 percent), and O’Rourke (5 percent). That’s an impressive jump, considering when Emerson last spoke to Iowa voters in January, Buttigieg was polling at 0 percent. “We’ve seen growing interest,” Iowa state party chairman Troy Price told NBC News on Sunday. “Iowa caucus-goers and Iowa Democrats are interested in what he has to say and want to hear more.”

Notably, Buttigieg’s appeal straddles a few unusual categories. While 18-to-29-year-old voters are overwhelmingly pro-Sanders, with 44 percent gunning for the Democratic socialist, Buttigieg comes in second, with 22 percent. He also attracted a significant portion of Iowa voters who voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic caucuses (tying with Warren at 15 percent), as well as 8 percent of those who voted for Sanders that year. “If Buttigieg is able to maintain his momentum, his candidacy appears to be pulling from the same demographic of young voters as Sanders, and that could become a problem for Sanders,” suggested Spencer Kimball, the director of the Emerson poll.

It remains too early to tell whether Buttigieg can maintain this momentum going into the debate season. But he certainly appears to have cross-categorical appeal. Buttigieg speaks the language of the heartland and the identity-politics progressives, while balancing centrist sensibilities (keeping some aspect of private insurance, for instance) with Twitter-friendly galaxy-brain policy proposals (like packing the Supreme Court). If he can stay on the radar of an easily distracted media without any obvious gaffes, the Buttigieg boomlet may have staying power.

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[madaboutharry]

1. I donated a bit yesterday.

He has many of the qualities I admired in Obama. It would be a great thing if he really can take off.

[Celerity]

2. I hope he keeps up the surge, he has went from less than 1% to 11% in less than 2 months.

I had only heard of him when he ran for the Chair of the DNC, but he dropped out, and I never saw him speak. He is almost otherworldly in levelheadedness and deeply thought-out responses on most all questions he is asked. I called him a polymath, and stand by that stance. His foreign policy (one place I could see him most attacked as he is a mayor in the Midwest) discussions sound like someone who has sat on the Foreign Relation Committee for years. He might be 37 but I'm blown away by his depth and thoughtfulness. Progressive but not partisan. Researched but still relatable. Remarkable candidate IMHO.


lol, I am a serious Buttigieg stan

[IndyOp]

3. I'm reading his autobiography -

The more I read, the more I like. Substance.

Experience. He consistently seeks out challenges and then goes "all in". He's worked in Democratic politics at the state and national level. He interned for Kennedy. He was offered a position in the Obama Senate campaign but turned it down because he was confident that Obama would get the Senate seat without him (he did), but saw Kerry-Edwards as being more in need (they were). Harvard is "meh", but earning a "First" in the Oxford PPE program - philosophy, politics, and economics program - is a huge, huge deal. The method they use is one-on-one or two-on-one mentoring - every week you teach yourself as much as you can about a topic and then meet with the mentor(s) to discuss what you've learned - essentially an oral exam each week. That must be an amazing experience that sets you up for life-long learning in any and all fields of interest.

He joined the military after Harvard, after Oxford, after earning $$$ working in the top consulting firm in the nation because he thought he should - it was just the right thing to do. In generations past, fortunate sons (Kennedy, Bush, etc.) were more likely to serve than other socioeconomic groups. When he was knocking doors in Iowa he encountered family after family who had a child on their way Afghanistan and the number of graduates from his Harvard class who served could be counted on one hand. He thought he should serve - so he did.

Intellectual powerhouse. Experience in business, government, and the military. Clarity of vision regarding climate crisis and economic realities in the U.S. Strong, long-term support from minority leaders in his city. Democratic Party loyalist. Tech savvy. Evidence-based decision-making that utilizes expertise from university instructors and students. More...

[Celerity]

4. superb summary

A First at Oxford, especially in a multidisciplinary bridging programme such as PPE, is a massive plus on ones academic record.

He is the most well-rounded candidate (and at 37!) I think I have ever seen. Granted I am 23yo, but I have followed politics from my pre-teen years (I was and am blessed with extraordinary parents who pushed me a life of learning and reflection from an obscenely young age )

He just seems so organic and fully-formed, plus humble. So inspiring and genuine.

[Buzz Lightyear]

5. Article based on one disputed poll

[Celerity]

6. You just did an OP using the exact same polling outfit, Emerson

https://www.democraticunderground.com/128741433

[greyl]

7. "You got me" is the only possible response. nt