Hours after preliminary results rolled in from the Nevada caucuses, Democratic candidate Pete Buttigieg took the stage at the Crowne Plaza Denver Convention Center seeking to maintain his momentum.
The former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, cast himself as a middle-of-the-road alternative to the frontrunner, far-left Sen. Bernie Sanders. He also took aim at President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos during his brief but enthusiastic address.
Early predictions showed Sanders, of Vermont, winning the Nevada caucuses by a wide margin, trailed by former Vice President Joe Biden and then Buttigieg.
“I would say it was a pretty good day for us in Nevada,” Buttigieg said.
A top three finish in Nevada combined with second-place in New Hampshire and a top finish in Iowa alongside Sanders shows that the campaign remains a strong contender, Buttigieg told the crowd of an estimated 8,500.
But he cautioned that soon Sanders could assume an insurmountable lead.
“I’m here to make the case for a politics that invites everyone in instead of saying ‘It’s my way or the highway,’” Buttigieg said.
Colorado Rep. Jeni Arndt introduced the 38-year-old political upshot. Earlier in the day, Arndt formally endorsed Buttigieg’s campaign alongside former Golden Mayor Marjorie Sloan and Wheat Ridge City Council member Rachel Hultin.
Before she could properly pronounce his last name, Arndt said she and her family understood that Buttigieg talks “plain sense” and represents the right values for the state.
“The movement is real, it’s now, it’s right here, it’s Colorado and let’s go for Pete,” Arndt said.
Immediately, Buttigieg threw himself into the political middle, listing issues he said a majority of Americans already support: An economy that works for people rather than corporations, supporting organized labor, eliminating the amount of uninsured and expanding health care to touch on mental health and substance abuse issues, among other things.
In addition the majority of Americans want a president who doesn’t raise their blood pressure when they turn on the television and they want a secretary of education who actually believes in public education, Buttigieg said.
“That’s the opportunity, that’s the urgency,” he said.
Buttigieg said he wants to redefine how a successful economy is measured.
“I believe the stock market and the economy are not the same thing,” he said. “I’m happy for it to be going up, but it’s not the same thing.”
Instead, he’d measure success by the income growth of the majority of citizens, push for a higher minimum wage and take actions to reduce salary disparities.
He also advocated for full immigration reform, allowing immigrants to apply for extra visas for those willing to stay in rural communities and help them grow and succeed.
“If we care about family values then this has to be a country that seeks to unify and reunify families and never, ever separate them,” Buttigieg said.
The excitable crowd absorbed Buttigieg’s remarks, cheering for more. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold joined him on the stage for a brief question and answer session.
Chants of “Love is love” erupted in the room after a 9-year-old boy called the openly-gay Buttigieg courageous and asked for help in coming out as gay.
The boy was whisked on stage where Buttigieg told him he was already courageous and gave him a few pieces of advice.
“You’ll never know who’s taking their lead from you. Who’s watching you and deciding that they can be a little braver because you have been brave,” Buttigieg told the boy. “Even if I can’t promise it will always be easy, I can promise you that I’m going to be rooting for you and I think there’s a whole bunch of people here who are going to be rooting for you too.”
Cane in hand, ball cap on her head, Cindy Slick walked into the venue with her friend Jody Veeder. The pair met at a Buttigieg watch party and quickly bonded over a mutual appreciation for the candidate’s demeanor and stances.
“He’s smart, articulate and he’s passionate about us,” Slick said. “You can tell he cares about our country and wants to bring kindness back to America.”
Vedder agreed and noted that she appreciates Buttigieg’s penchant for unity rather than relying on fringe views.
Plus he’s young, said Slick, nodding her head and shaking the few Buttigieg pins in her hat.
“Someone is going to have to realize how old Bernie is,” Slick said.
For Karl Matthys, Buttigieg’s veteran status is the draw. Matthys, who said he is also a veteran, drove from his home in Colorado Springs for the event.
“We’ve had war hawks in the office, but I can’t remember the last time we had a veteran,” Matthys said.
Some might say details are lacking from Buttigieg’s stance on the issues, but Slick said the specifics are posted on his website and it’s the duty of voters to do their research.
“Just because he’s not shoving them down our throats does not mean he doesn’t have a stance,” Slick said.
As caucus results funneled in from Nevada, Slick and others said they were unconcerned. Nobody thought Buttigieg could make it this far anyway and he’s finished strong in the first three states, they said.
Each agreed they’ll support the Democratic nominee, but hold out hope that Buttigieg takes the top spot.
Jeannette Prentice said she drove three hours from her home in “Trump country,” Wray, Colorado, to hear Buttigieg speak. Positivity, in a political mud throwing contest, is what drew her attention.
“He does not lower himself to their levels,” Prentice said.
Buttigieg is the sixth presidential candidate to visit Colorado this week. It’s his second trip to Colorado this year. He’ll be followed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who will visit Denver Sunday.
Biden, Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Sanders are the other Democratic hopefuls who hosted events in state. President Donald Trump also held a rally Thursday in Colorado Springs where he was joined on stage by Vice President Mike Pence and the state’s at-risk Republican Sen. Cory Gardner, among others.
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