(UNDATED) – The Iowa Caucuses are just two weeks away and every Democrat candidate for president is working double-time to sway primary voters to cast their ballot on February 3rd.
University of Indianapolis political science professor Dr. Laura Wilson told Indy Politics it’s amazing former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg has lasted this long and is doing this well in the Democrat primary.
“I think it does say a lot about his appeal,” she said. “That he was some as a mayor of South Bend, not even one of the biggest cities in Indiana, wasn’t sure that he would be able to get the name recognition, to get the appeal of people outside our state.”
It seems he’s been able to do that having led in various polls of primary voters in Iowa. In the weeks leading up to and through the new year, his numbers have slipped as his competitors, such as Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Vice-President Joe Biden have gained some momentum.
“Clearly he’s been able to build some traction,” Wilson added. “Now, he’s not leading in all the caucus polling and primary polling, not even by a long shot. But the fact that he’s still around showing he has some languishing effects.”
Moving forward, the two biggest performances that she’ll be watching are on Buttigieg in Iowa and Biden in South Carolina. She said Biden needs to do well in South Carolina primary voting with the large contingent of African-American voters there that have backed him.
Buttigieg, she says, needs a strong performance in Iowa, not only to keep himself as a legitimate candidate but also to keep his appeal to Midwestern voters since it is the region he is from.
The Iowa Caucuses kick off primary voting on February 3rd.
