Pete Buttigieg Pitches Himself to Moderates as the Biden Alternative

[brooklynite]

Bloomberg

Pete Buttigieg is pitching himself as an alternative to moderate Democrats who might not be sold on Joe Biden.

On a recent bus tour of Iowa, Buttigieg framed his argument, emphasizing the need to “re-center our politics” and recapture the notion of freedom and faith from conservatives who he says use those terms to “club people over the head.”

That message could find a new audience as Biden, the leading moderate, is tangled in the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump.

So the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is positioning himself to be the standard-bearer for moderate Democrats if the front-runner fades.

Despite raising a staggering $51 million in 2019, Buttigieg has been stuck in fourth place, between 5% and 7% in national polls. Part of that’s because he’s hard to define. He’s a little-known mayor of a small city. He eschews ideological labels. He blends a message that sounds like Elizabeth Warren with a platform that looks like Biden’s and a courteous Midwestern demeanor that calls for national unity.

[highplainsdem]

1. I like Pete. But despite all the campaign money and media attention, he still has only about 1/5 the

support Biden has.

[NurseJackie]

2. That's an interesting take. I wonder how if it will resonate and help him.

I still believe he's a strong contender for the VP slot.

[dsc]

3. The group Biden is doing the best with

Buttigieg is doing the worst with. I don't see this as a winning strategy. Buttigieg has tried to woo support among African Americans and it just isn't working. Unless that changes he can't be considered a serious second choice to Biden.