The Mayor Pete boomlet is real. The question is whether he’s on the edge of a breakthrough in the Democratic race—or likely to just be the butt of future jokes.
The Atlantic reports that not long ago, Pete Buttigieg was, if anything, that guy whose name no one seemed sure how to pronounce. But after a few weeks of extensive positive press, and the announcement of an impressive $7 million first-quarter fundraising haul, he’s now the guy who can unite powerful media Davids on the left and the right in admiration.
But no one knows yet what that internet fame means in practical terms. Whether it pushes the South Bend, Indiana, mayor into the top tier of the Democratic race is unclear; perhaps more important at the moment is whether his momentum is sustainable, or simply a blip.
Buttigieg isn’t really popping up as an alternative to any particular Democrat, because there isn’t a clear front-runner in the race. Former Vice President Joe Biden continues to lead in every poll, but he still hasn’t actually entered the race, and many political analysts consider his numbers to be fragile—especially after two accusations of inappropriate touching against him by women in the past week
The current Buttigieg moment is also different because it’s so early in the campaign. There’s simply no effective analogue, since there’s never been a presidential race that was in such full swing by April the year before the election. Because previous races have started later, boomlets have happened closer to the primaries or once they’re under way. One possible interpretation is that Buttigieg risks peaking too soon, when the race has barely begun, and with a crowded waiting room of other Democrats hoping for their own boomlets. It also means he’ll draw slings and arrows he might otherwise have dodged for a time.
But given how small his profile was to begin with, Buttigieg probably needed the attention now. It allowed him to bring in the big $7 million fundraising figure. That puts his name alongside people such as Senators Kamala Harris and Bernie Sanders and former Representative Beto O’Rourke, and shows he can hang with them, though he trails them. The money can also fund the ground operation in early states that Buttigieg has so far been lacking. That doesn’t guarantee he will be able to compete long into the campaign, but it’s probably a necessity.
Probably. There’s one former boomlet candidate who suggests otherwise. He was widely viewed by pundits as another Cain-style curiosity who would flame out. Like Buttigieg, he was able to harness social-media buzz to grab more attention. But this candidate didn’t use it to build a robust campaign team or ground game. Nor did he flame out as the campaign wore on. Instead, he surprised expectations and become President Donald Trump in January 2017. And now, Pete Buttigieg is hoping for a chance to run against him in the 2020 election.
