Democratic presidential candidate Pete ButtigiegPete ButtigiegScaled-back Pride Month poses challenges for fundraising, outreach Biden hopes to pick VP by Aug. 1 It’s as if a Trump operative infiltrated the Democratic primary process MORE said he doubts fellow hopeful Sen. Bernie SandersBernie SandersThe Hill’s 12:30 Report: Milley apologizes for church photo-op Harris grapples with defund the police movement amid veep talk Biden courts younger voters — who have been a weakness MORE (I-Vt.) can beat President TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders ‘After Action Review’ of National Guard’s role in protests MORE in a general election.
“I have a hard time seeing the coalition ultimately coming together there,” the South Bend, Ind., mayor told The New York Times.
Buttigieg added that at the time “people were refreshed by the novelty of that boldness” of Sanders’s ideas, but that they are now less exciting.
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Buttigieg has been criticized this week for saying that in 2016 voters wanted to “blow up the system,” adding that this mentality “could lead you to somebody like Bernie and it could lead you to somebody like Trump. That’s how we got where we are.”
Sanders’s campaign manager, Faiz Shakir, pushed back on Buttigieg’s assertion, touting Sanders’s record of fighting for the working class as the reason he will be able to win in 2020.
“At a time when Trump has lied to millions of Americans and sold out workers, voters are looking for a leader who they can trust will fight for them,” he said in a statement to The Hill.
“He is committed to standing up to powerful corporate interests, taking on the billionaire class, defeating Trump and creating a government that works for all people,” he added.
Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, and Buttigieg are seen as front-runners among the 20 candidates vying for the 2020 Democratic nomination.
In recent polls, the pair and former Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenHillicon Valley: Biden calls on Facebook to change political speech rules | Dems demand hearings after Georgia election chaos | Microsoft stops selling facial recognition tech to police Trump finalizing executive order calling on police to use ‘force with compassion’ The Hill’s Campaign Report: Biden campaign goes on offensive against Facebook MORE, who is expected to enter the race Thursday, sit in the top three spots of Democratic presidential contenders.
Updated at 3:34 p.m.
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