MANCHESTER, New Hampshire — Billionaire long-shot candidate Tom Steyer previewed attacks he’s likely to lob at Pete Buttigieg during the New Hampshire debate.
Steyer, 62, knocked Buttigieg, 38, over his inability to appeal to minority Democrats during a televised CNN town hall late Wednesday in response to a question about his own poor performance in Iowa. He’s a hedge fund manager, Democratic megadonor, and impeachment proponent, spending millions of dollars on ads ahead of the first-in-the-nation caucus, but Steyer is on track to earn less than 1% of state delegate equivalents, while Buttigieg is trending toward finishing first with 26.4%.
“Look, I got in late to this race,” Steyer said, before citing his strong polling in Nevada and South Carolina. “I can put together the kind of diverse coalition that we need to have to beat Trump. And that’s something — if you look at the people who are running for president, there are people who are struggling to do that, like Pete Buttigieg.”
Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has struggled to break through with minority Democrats, particularly in South Carolina, where the majority of the primary electorate is composed of African Americans.
Steyer also dinged Buttigieg, who worked at management consultancy firm McKinsey and Company after graduating from Harvard College, over doubts he could handle the U.S. economy.
“In terms of the economy, I have literally three decades of private-sector experience,” he said. “You’re not going to be able to get by with a couple years at McKinsey.”
Steyer’s swings at Buttigieg landed better than his attempt during last month’s Iowa debate. On stage in Des Moines, he went after the former mayor for not better representing his generation by advocating more forcefully for climate change action.
