Fabulous (and fabulous) news out of Iowa: Pete Buttigieg has landed in third place among caucus-goers in a new poll.
The rising popularity of the South Bend, Indiana mayor–and the first out-gay major party candidate–marks a decided increase from June, when he polled at just 6% among likely voters. The newest statistics show him running at 13% behind former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who are locked in a virtual tie at 18% and 17%, respectively. Buttigieg also polls ahead of Sen. Bernie Sanders, who saw his support shrink to only 9%.
Related: Mayor Pete claims he doesn’t read Queerty (We refuse to believe it!)
As the first major party primary, the Iowa Caucus often sets the tone for the remainder of election season. In the past, candidates like Barack Obama and John Kerry have stunned the political world with upset wins over previous frontrunners like Hillary Clinton and Howard Dean, and can build enough momentum to win the nomination in future contests. Buttigieg has kept a stealth focus on Iowa during his campaign, opening a reported 20 offices in the state.
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The news of the new poll comes at a delicate time, when former front runner Joe Biden’s numbers have plummeted, as have those of Bernie Sanders, amid the rise of Elizabeth Warren. Buttigieg has yet to rise to the top of the polls, though his latest numbers suggest his moment may be on the horizon.
JaredMacBride
Guy checks all the boxes for privileged white male.
QueerTN
WTF do you mean? He’s a military vet and Rhodes scholar! How exactly is that “white privilege”?
Vince
I don’t know about that but you sure check off all the racist boxes.
nmharleyrider
Only candidate with a real brain. No bone spurs, served in Afghan, Rhodes scholar . We could actually have an intelligent president for a change
QueerTN
AMEN!
evanxx
There’s a big difference between educated and smart. Because Pete had enough “white privilege” to go to Ivy League schools, he’s quite well educated. He has made some major gaffes in his public comments which demonstrate he’s not too smart concerning everyday issues.
Jimmy T
Wouldn’t it be nice if we elected the smartest candidate to be President, as opposed to an incompetent, lying, self-serving, failed game show host.
evanxx
Mayor Pete’s stupid response yesterday to Tulsi Gabbard’s confession of being a Russian asset because Hillary Clinton insinuated “someone” in the Dem Party was complicit with Putin, shows that he’s still too young and inexperienced to be anything more than a mayor of a small town. Mayor Pete is also clueless about the difference between someone who’s HIV/pos and a person living with AIDS. His website offers no healthcare plan for long-term survivors with AIDS. He was still filling his diapers when the AIDS epidemic exploded. The people advising him are worthless. We don’t want a President who doesn’t do his research before making irresponsible comments.
jasentylar
If you’re going to say he made comments, please reference/quote said statements instead of making vague generalizations about his character.
OzJosh
Warren/Buttigieg for 2020. Biden is now hopelessly smeared, even if you think there’s nothing at all wrong with Hunter’s escapades (and everything is wrong with it). And Bernie’s age becomes a significant negative factor with his heart attack. Dems can’t afford any kind of compromised candidate this time around, so bye-bye Biden, bye-bye Bernie.
Calabashe
Mayor Pete is still my favorite but he lacks national experience. Hoping Biden taps him for V.P.
Ronbo
Don’t pop the champagne quite yet… the poll was of establishment membership of the DNC. Maybe next time they will poll voters.
This is what professionals call a “push poll”. A push poll is an interactive marketing technique, most commonly employed during political campaigning, in which an individual or organization attempts to manipulate or alter prospective voters’ views/beliefs under the guise of conducting an opinion poll.
Cam
The poll was of likely Caucus goers. Bernie on the caucus last time. This is a very valid poll, if you don’t want them to poll caucus goers, then Iowa needs to change it’s early voting structure.