Buttigieg campaign hosts 29 debate watch parties

MANCHESTER, N.H. — At one of its 29 debate watch parties on Tuesday night — the most reported gatherings for any candidate in New Hampshire — the Buttigieg campaign hosted a handful of local supporters, including State Representative Matt Wilhelm, in the downstairs sports bar of an Elm Street music hall.

Eugene Chow, the newly-hired deputy communications director for the Buttigieg campaign in New Hampshire, said the watch parties across the state came together "through organizing." The effort provided the latest evidence of the increasing size and sophistication of the Buttigieg campaign after the South Bend Mayor led the field in second-quarter fundraising with $25 million. 

Wilhelm, who endorsed Buttigieg on July 4 and introduced the South Bend Mayor at a rally in Dover, New Hampshire on July 12, said midway through the televised debates that he "wasn't worried about how Mayor Pete was going to perform." He described the 37-year-old as "unflappable," a key trait for a possible general election matchup with President Donald Trump, and indicated that other state representatives share his concerns about electability. "We've got to put a strong candidate up against Donald Trump," he said.

While the downtown gathering included mostly staff and committed supporters with Buttigieg-for-president hats and t-shirts, Chow described the watch parties across the state as "opportunities for people who are supporting to engage with their neighbors." He added that many people in the Granite State are still deciding, a good sign for a candidate who emerged on the national scene only months ago. "New Hampshire has a great tradition where people are really deliberative," he said.

A newly-elected state representative endorsed by the New Hampshire Young Democrats, Wilhelm met with over half the Democratic presidential field on the phone or one-on-one in person before declaring his support for Buttigieg last month. He first sat down with Buttigieg at a roundtable with other elected officials in an independent bookstore, where the South Bend Mayor and Afghanistan veteran recognized the first-term state legislator's AmeriCorps lapel pin.

Although he said he was always leaning towards Buttigieg, Wilhelm was not planning to endorse until the fall, after the 2019 municipal elections. That changed when Buttigieg released his national service plan, which Wilhelm highlighted in his introduction at the Dover rally. "The candidate with the best national service plan is totally going to get my vote," he said.

Wilhelm also credited the Buttigieg campaign for engaging local leaders. He noted that Chasten Buttigieg, the husband of the South Bend Mayor, canvassed for Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig last weekend. "This campaign is very eager to share the spotlight," he said, adding that other presidential campaigns sometimes "operate in a national context."

Beyond the investment of time and energy on the ground in New Hampshire, Chow responded that the Buttigieg campaign was most encouraged by the history of the state's first-in-the-nation primary. "New Hampshire is a state that has always rewarded unconventional candidates," he said. He also mentioned the state's preference for executive experience.

While Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders won the contest in 2016 and then-Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton placed a strong second in 1992, no mayor has ever won the Democratic primary in New Hampshire. Only governors, senators and vice presidents have claimed victory, as young upstarts like former President Barack Obama in 2008 have sometimes faltered in the state. On the Republican side, businessman Donald Trump and political commentator Pat Buchanan have been the exceptions to the same rule.

Chow and Wilhelm however both mentioned the win-the-era messaging of the Buttigieg campaign. "It's great to be continued to be inspired by your candidate every day," Wilhelm said.

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