Conservative commentator Inez Stepman praised South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s debate performance in Los Angeles, saying the White House hopeful held his own despite being the subject of attacks.
“Pete [Buttigieg] was in the hot seat this debate — I think he did better than Warren did last time in his position, i.e., people gunning for him,” Stepman, a senior policy analyst at the conservative nonprofit Independent Women’s Forum, told Hill.TV on Friday.
“I don’t know what his chances are going forward, but he still looks good in Iowa and it still looks like he has a chance,” she added, pointing to recent Iowa polling showing Buttigieg leading the field.
However, Stepman predicted that if the 2020 contenders continue to take turns being the target of attacks, former Vice President Joe Biden, who tops most national polls, could wind up as the nominee.
Stepman’s comments come after seven Democratic presidential candidates faced off in Thursday night’s debate.
Buttigieg, who has worked his way to the front of the 2020 primary, weathered several attacks on his campaign, including fundraising from wealthy donors.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) knocked the South Bend, Ind. mayor for holding a closed-door fundraiser at a “wine cave” in Napa Valley in an effort to contrast her own decision not to accept money from high-dollar donors.
Buttigieg defended his campaign’s fundraisers and shot back by noting that he was the only candidate on the debate stage who was neither a millionaire or billionaire. He also pointed out that Warren raised money from wealthy donors for her Senate campaign, which was transferred to her presidential campaign.
“This is the problem with issuing purity tests you cannot yourself pass,” Buttigieg said from the debate stage. “If I pledged to never be in the company of a progressive, Democratic donor, I couldn’t be up here.”
The fiery exchange marked a culmination of tensions between the two Democratic front-runners. The pair have traded barbs in recent months over the issue of transparency. Warren has been critical of Buttigieg’s past work at consulting firm McKinsey & Co. The South Bend, Ind., mayor, meanwhile, has criticized Warren for not releasing her tax returns that covered her past corporate legal work.
—Tess Bonn
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