Buttigieg entered Sunday's CNN town hall as a longshot -- sitting at 1% in Iowa and New Hampshire, recent polls have shown. When moderator Jake Tapper asked Buttigieg which of two options was the correct pronunciation ("BOOT-edge-edge" or "buddha-judge"), Buttigieg said either option worked and that at home, he just goes by "Mayor Pete." At the close of the hour-long town hall on Sunday -- his first extended appearance with a national television audience -- Democrats were saying they wanted to hear more from the former Rhodes Scholar and Afghanistan veteran. Buttigieg, the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has long been seen as a political talent in Indiana -- but one without a natural next step to take. He lives in a heavily Republican congressional district and in a state where Democrats are longshots -- a reality Buttigieg learned during a 2010 bid for state treasurer.

Source: CNN March 11, 2019 18:56 UTC