Pete Buttigieg is doing what every other leading 2020 Democrat already did.
In a Friday email to supporters, Buttigieg's campaign manager announced the contender would stop accepting "any money from lobbyists" and would return $30,250 he'd already gotten from 39 registered lobbyists. All the other top tier Democratic candidates — namely Sens. Cory Booker (N.J.), Kamala Harris (Calif.), Bernie Sanders (Vt.), and Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), as well as Beto O'Rourke — had already sworn off lobbyist cash long ago.
The move comes a day after former Vice President Joe Biden entered the race and promptly said he wouldn't accept money from lobbyists and corporate PACs. Still, on Thursday night, Biden held a fundraiser full of lobbyists and Republican donors at the home of a Comcast executive who manages the company's lobbying. A few lower level candidates, including former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and current Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, are still open to lobbyist money.
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