Pete Buttigieg Isn’t Just Winning Over People on the Internet
CONCORD, N.H.—Getting nonstop press is different from getting actual votes, but for now, Pete Buttigieg is everywhere.
The Wall Street Journal has attacked him as a Trojan horse for “packaging progressive policies and methods in a smooth, moderate persona.” The prime minister of Ireland tweeted at him about Ulysses and invited him to Dublin. And he really does answer questions in Norwegian and Italian.
At this rate, Buttigieg’s next interview might be a fun animal-facts quiz for National Geographic Kids. Even Playboy sent a reporter here to tag along with a man who talks about how much he loves his husband and wants to raise children with him.
[Peter Wehner: Pete Buttigieg’s very public faith is challenging assumptions]
This can all seem like flavor-of-the-month political coverage. But his event on Friday night in Manchester got so many RSVPs that it had to move from a bar to an art museum down the road. And even then there were more people chanting outside than most of the candidates are getting.
The next morning, here at a bookstore on the main stretch of the state capital, Buttigieg had to have security clear a path as he made his way through a crowd with Representative Ann Kuster at his side, visibly surprised by the turnout.
Yes, many of the people at both events told me, they can actually see this 37-year-old who probably couldn’t win his local House seat being the president.
