Reflection: Buttigieg, Introductions and Intelligence

It was the biggest weekend yet. I was scheduled to see five candidates for the first time, all top- or mid-tier contenders, in three days: South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Vice President Joe Biden, former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker and California Senator Kamala Harris.

As I drove across the state on a Friday morning for the first event, a Buttigieg rally at a downtown park in Dover, I was hoping that an extended period on the campaign trail would allow me to develop a more critical eye. I had seen four candidates at that point, and I had walked away impressed by each one, even the low-polling former Maryland Congressman John Delaney and the underachieving New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. My biggest takeaway was that all the candidates are better in person than on television.

State Representative Matt Wilhelm played a key role at the rally by introducing South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Wilhelm highlighted the national service plan that the Buttigieg campaign recently rolled out.

But I was gaining experience with New Hampshire primary events and I resolved to have a higher standard that weekend. I wanted to pay attention to the little things that distinguish the campaigns and evaluate several of the most pressing questions for the party. Does Biden still have it? Is Buttigieg the real deal? Could Harris parlay a shock upset in the Granite State into a march to the nomination?

For a Friday morning, Buttigieg drew an impressive crowd of 800 people at an outdoor amphitheater in Dover, the fifth-largest city in the state. Aside from a "Pete" sign off to the side and a large American flag backdrop behind the stage, the set design was relatively bare-bones. The crowd did the talking.

Introductions from the head of the Dover Democrats, who touted his organization as the best in the state, and State Representative Matt Wilhelm, a new endorsement for Buttigieg, warmed up the crowd. As the audience waited for Buttigieg, Wilhelm in particular spoke about his experience in the City Year AmeriCorps program and his longtime support for national service. Wilhelm said that he was "a little bit skeptical" when Buttigieg announced his national service plan, but signed on after reading the document. "I was completely blown away," he said.

Although not usually reported, introductions like Wilhelm's are hugely important. They help the candidate establish credibility in the state and begin to address any skepticism or preconceived notions about him or her. They prime voters for specific messages later in the candidate's speech and spotlight policies that sometimes get lost in the larger agenda.

There is a big difference between the introduction that Buttigieg got from a state legislator and, for example, the introduction Booker got two days later from a campaign staffer. It's the difference between a top-tier and a mid-tier candidate.

When Buttigieg finally appeared in his trademark white long-sleeved shirt, he quickly ticked through his freedom-security-democracy platform in just under fourteen minutes. As the crowd applauded each rapid-fire talking point, I felt something was missing. Buttigieg spoke about his faith and his military service, but did not connect most of his policies, aside from his national service plan, to his life in any unique or meaningful way. After the event, Ben Longchamp, a 20-year-old first-time New Hampshire primary voter who wore a NASCAR hat, hit the nail on the head for me. "The first twenty minutes were very much applause lines," he said.

Yet Longchamp, like the other half-dozen Buttigieg supporters that I talked to, came around to Buttigieg after the question-and-answer session. With questions submitted on pieces of paper and read aloud by Wilhelm, Buttigieg did what he does best: navigate tricky situations, stay on-message and feed his popular image as a wunderkind, unfazed by his sudden star turn.

His calm, cool and collected persona was best exemplified when a questioner called his plan to expand the size of the Supreme Court "profoundly undemocratic" and he responded that his proposal, inspired by an article in the Yale Law Review, would require the first ten justices to choose the remaining five nominees by unanimous agreement.

Buttigieg thrived during a question-and-answer session, which voters said showed off his quick-thinking skills and his ability to explain his positions under scrutiny.

His supporters raved about his performance to me afterwards. Almost every voter that I talked to mentioned some variation of his quick-thinking on stage. He was characterized as "so eloquent," "very smart," "articulate," "extremely well-spoken" and "intelligent" by five different supporters.

It was a genuine reaction and obviously true, but it all seemed a little empty to me. Buttigieg is not the only smart candidate in the race. He is not even the only Rhodes Scholar — Booker also won the heralded prize, but talks about his achievement much less. When Buttigieg was studying as an undergrad at Harvard College, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren was teaching at the law school there. 14 candidates in total attended Ivy League universities or law schools.

And is that type of elite credential even the most important thing for a presidential candidate? I would guess that, among others, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who graduated from the University of Chicago himself, would answer with a resounding negative.

Yet Casey Sturgis, a teacher from Goran, Maine, pinpointed something, besides his age and sexual orientation, that I think is truly special about Buttigieg. "Every question, he's got an answer," she said. "And if he doesn't have a plan, he's willing to talk."

The national service plan that Wilhelm made sure I would remember showed that. A candidate criticized as light on the details, Buttigieg is beginning to correct that perception with at least one big, ambitious and well-designed plan. As a veteran of AmeriCorps and a longtime advocate for national service, Wilhelm's testimony was a key piece of evidence for Buttigieg.

With one of the largest crowds of the cycle in New Hampshire, Buttigieg should not be counted out any sooner than former President Jimmy Carter, a fellow outsider who talked about his faith, came from a purple region and promised a fresh start after a corruption-plagued administration, should have been counted out in the 1976 primaries.

This work is made possible by the Russell H. Bostert Memorial Fellowship at Williams College.