2020 presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg said it’s beneficial for factions within the Democratic Party to clash ahead of the primaries.
Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, said he welcomes differing opinions when asked about tensions between the House Democratic leadership and a group of minority congresswomen known as “the squad.”
“I think it’s very healthy for our party to have a range of opinions, especially as we get into this season of the 2020 primary, the whole virtue of the primaries is when people hash out exactly where the party is headed. And I welcome all of those voices,” he told reporters Wednesday.
“We’re talking about Americans who have been elected by their fellow Americans in order to lead and represent them. That’s a healthy conversation, even if it turns some, at some moments, into a tug of war over strategy, or we’re still hashing out exactly what the right answer is going to be,” he said.
Earlier this month, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota after they voted against a border funding bill.
Ocasio-Cortez said Pelosi’s comments were “outright disrespectful” and claimed the group was being singled out because they are women of color.
