Published on November 21, 2019 at 06:20AM by By BILL BARROW and WILL WEISSERT, Associated Press
ATLANTA (AP) — Pete Buttigieg’s rise in the Democratic presidential primary makes him a prime target at Wednesday’s debate as the four candidates now bunched at the top seek to distinguish themselves with less than three months until voting begins.
The 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has gained significant ground in recent months in Iowa, which holds the nation’s first caucuses on Feb. 3. But with top-tier status comes added scrutiny, as the other front-runners discovered in four previous debates throughout the summer and fall.
Former Vice President Joe Biden had to swat back criticism of his past work with segregationist Senate colleagues and his support of some unpopular Obama administration policies. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren has faced weeks of tough questions about her support for a “Medicare for All” universal health insurance plan, and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has been forced to prove he has the stamina for the race, especially after the 78-year-old’s heart attack in October.
Buttigieg could face pressure to demonstrate that he can woo black and other minority voters and that his experience running a city of only about 100,000 residents is enough to qualify him for the White House.
“Anytime a candidate pops up above the pack, there’s a vigorous effort to vet them,” said Democratic strategist Zac Petkanas. “Buttigieg is going to have to prove that his recent rise is not just a flash in the pan.”
Previous attacks against Biden, who turned 77 on Wednesday, Warren and Sanders failed to reshape the race — but the trio likely will face their own share of criticism on the debate stage in Atlanta, even if Buttigieg gets a disproportionate amount of attention.
Medicare for All has dominated the primary and could again be a top topic after Warren, 70, released plans to...
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