Pete Buttigieg has to perform in the early states of Iowa and New Hampshire if he is going to be competitive in the Democratic primary, and his focus has been pulling in disaffected Trump voters, CNN reported.
"The number one issue for voters is defeating Donald Trump and they are doing the math themselves," Buttigieg campaign deputy manager Hari Sevugan told CNN.
"Pete is uniquely qualified to reach out to a broad coalition of voters. He can turn out the base, he can solidify our gains in the suburbs, and he can reach into exurban and rural communities and bring people home."
The early states have polled well for Buttigieg, 38, the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor, but if he cannot do well early, it might sink his chances nationally, sources told CNN.
"Where Pete comes from himself, South Bend, is a town that is not unlike a lot of the towns in my district, especially those along the [Mississippi] river," Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa, told CNN. "Those are the areas where we are going to have to get back the number of Democrats who were peeled away and either didn't vote or voted for Trump."
It should be noted, Buttigieg was the only Democratic primary candidate to hold a double-digit lead (51%-41%) on President Donald Trump in NBC News/Marist's initial New Hampshire poll released Sunday.
The Iowa caucuses are Feb. 3, the first stop in the Democratic presidential primary, followed by New Hampshire on Feb. 11.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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