Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg’s first TV ad hits the airwaves in Iowa on Friday, with the South Bend, Ind., mayor calling for “real solutions” and unity.
“To meet these challenges and to defeat this president, we need real solutions, not more polarization,” Buttigieg says in the 30-second ad, first obtained by The Washington Post.
He references climate change, health care and gun issues in the ad.
“Our kids are learning active shooter drills before they learn to read,” Buttigieg says in the spot titled “The Only Way.”
Buttigieg is prioritizing Iowa in his presidential campaign. Last weekend he announced the opening of 20 offices in 20 days across Iowa.
“Iowa is central,” Buttigieg told CNN in August. “It’s the first chance to really prove everything we’ve been saying about how organized we are about the idea that what we have to say is winning with people across a range of voters and caucusgoers.”
The Iowa caucuses, scheduled for Feb. 3, are the first contest in the presidential primary process.
But as the 2020 contests draw closer, Buttigieg is lagging behind former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, (D-Mass.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the polls.
Updated at 11:24 a.m.