DES MOINES — Pete Buttigieg’s bid for the 2020 Democratic nomination emphasizes both his establishment credentials — Harvard grad, Rhodes Scholar, McKinsey consultant, military vet — and his current role as mayor of a mid-sized Midwestern city, South Bend, Indiana.
But it’s his emphasis on that second part of his biography that’s giving pause to some Midwesterners. This week at the Iowa State Fair, a right of passage in Iowa presidential politics, some expressed reservations about Buttigieg, who last quarter led the Democratic pack in fundraising by pulling in $24.8 million.
Michael McCalister, 71, who saw Buttigieg speak Tuesday, said he’s still learning more about the candidate, 37. But McCalister isn’t yet convinced, comparing Buttigieg to a pair of Democratic White House rivals who have spent months in Iowa, Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
“He just doesn’t seem super authentic, unlike Warren or Sanders, who have been here a bunch,” Michael McCalister, told the Washington Examiner. “He just seems a little bit too polished.”
A Monmouth University poll released Aug. 8, found Buttigieg in fifth place in the first-in-the-nation caucus state at 8%, behind Sanders of Vermont, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden.
On the stump in Iowa Tuesday, Buttigieg at times adopted a rural twang at points throughout the speech. Yet despite drawing in an audience well into the hundreds, it remains unclear if Iowa voters are looking for a fellow Midwesterner to oust President Trump.
“I think his basic problem is that a few months ago, he was on a roll and talked up by the media, but he’s no longer a fresh face. Mayor Pete seems to be all personality, he’s very slick, but he’s not running for class president, he’s running for president of the United States,” Democratic strategist Brad Bannon told the Washington Examiner. “Maybe his pitch would have worked 12 years ago when Democratic voters there came more from small towns, but now Democrats are issue driven, and I just don’t hear a lot about the issues from him.”
During his time at the state fair, Buttigieg touted his outsider status, and promised to “implement what just about every American wants, but Washington can’t deliver: Common sense gun-safety reform.”
Yet even his supporters realize that Buttigieg can’t win over Midwesterners just by touting his background.
“Iowa is traditionalist and we want someone with experience. It’s a hard thing for people to visualize him as president,” Anna Rider-Mason, 25, said.
Buttigieg’s team, which told reporters it only expects to “do well in Iowa” — not necessarily win — is clearly conscious of the fact that some voters see the candidate as weak on policy.
This week, Buttigieg has been traveling the state discussing his plan to renew rural America through federal investment, saying that less populated parts of the country are “treated as an after thought.”
Other Democrats, including those who served in the Obama administration who spoke with the Washington Examiner, say they remain impressed by Buttigieg’s performance so far.
“I think he’s doing pretty well so far as a small-town mayor. A couple months ago, the joke was ‘How do you pronounce his name?'” Democratic strategist Jim Manley told the Washington Examiner.
