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A new poll in Iowa – the state that kicks off the presidential caucus and primary nominating calendar – shows South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg claiming a narrow lead over his top rivals for the Democratic nomination.
Buttigieg stands at 22 percent among likely Democratic caucus-goers in Iowa, according to the Monmouth University survey, with former Vice President Joe Biden at 19 percent, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts at 18 percent and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont at 13 percent.
Nationally-syndicated radio host Tony Katz wasn’t surprised by Buttigieg’s surge.
“Regardless of politics, the Buttigieg campaign has done a tremendous job with the presentation, focus, and messaging of their campaign,” Katz said in a Wednesday morning appearance on Fox & Friends. “They’ve done an incredibly good job, hired solid people, and they’ve been aggressive about staying on task.”
Katz noted that despite their similarities in policy, Pete Buttigieg’s presentation and messaging have been much more effective than Senator Elizabeth Warren’s campaign.
“Buttigieg presents himself as this very calm and likable candidate,” explained Katz, “and all this goodwill he’s been collecting in Iowa is happening at the same time that Elizabeth Warren is touting a $52 trillion dollar healthcare plan and no tax increases on the middle class because she’s going to stick it to billionaires.”
Buttigieg is also gaining traction among likely voters outside of Iowa.
“He’s at 15{a19b272382e43567b93d81f78cecbca1de1bd20e733811fd76565cd2f1d1cf89} in New Hampshire and 9{a19b272382e43567b93d81f78cecbca1de1bd20e733811fd76565cd2f1d1cf89} in South Carolina where he was previously at 3{a19b272382e43567b93d81f78cecbca1de1bd20e733811fd76565cd2f1d1cf89},” noted Katz. “Again, some of that is due to Buttigieg doing a solid job campaigning, but so much more of this is because Elizabeth Warren has turned people off in a way that is almost stunning to witness”
Katz also credited some of Buttigieg’s gains to resistance from voters to the policy proposals of Senator Bernie Sanders.
“[Sanders] wants 50,000 climate refugees, he doesn’t want any deportations, and he wants to eliminate ICE. He’s also going to buy a fourth house,” quipped Katz.
Click the video below to see Tony Katz’s full Fox & Friends appearance.
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