Why Joe Biden might be taking it easy on Pete Buttigieg


The most famous unspoken Democratic presidential candidate alliance is probably the one between Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). But there might be one brewing between former Vice President Joe Biden and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, as well — at least on Biden's end.
Biden and Buttigieg aren't old friends like Warren and Sanders, but there are some logical strategic reasons for why that might be the case. Biden hasn't really gone after the 37-year-old mayor very much since the primaries began, despite their ideological overlap and the fact that many of the other candidates seem to find the political upstart a tad annoying.
When asked about Buttigieg during a bus tour in Iowa on Sunday, Biden skirted the question because he didn't want anyone to twist his words into criticism. He called Buttigieg "a talented guy" and said he has no negative feelings toward him. One explanation might be that Biden wouldn't want to alienate Buttigieg's more moderate base in the hopes that they could flock over to him if the mayor falters.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But their voters actually appear to be quite different, some observers note, despite some similar policy stances. Instead, Biden might view Buttigieg as someone who could help take down Warren (which is actually the case in some recent polls) and boost the former vice president's candidacy in the long run. Tim O'Donnell
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Shohei Ohtani is caught in a financial controversy — again
In the Spotlight The controversy concerns Ohtani and his agent, Nez Balelo
-
A descent into academic Hell, a ferocious feminist fable and the adult debut of a beloved children's author
The Week Recommends August books include R.F. Kuang's 'Katabasis,' Xenobe Purvis' 'The Hounding' and Louis Sachar's 'The Magician of Tiger Castle'
-
What is an upside-down car loan and how do you get out of it?
the explainer This happens when the outstanding balance on a car loan exceeds the vehicle's worth
-
Border agents crash Newsom redistricting kickoff
Speed Read Armed federal Border Patrol agents amassed outside the venue where the California governor and other Democratic leaders were gathered
-
Man charged for hoagie attack as DC fights takeover
Speed Read The Trump administration filed felony charges against a man who threw a Subway sandwich at a federal agent
-
Trump BLS nominee floats ending key jobs report
Speed Read On Fox News, E.J. Antoni suggested scrapping the closely watched monthly jobs report
-
Trump picks conservative BLS critic to lead BLS
speed read He has nominated the Heritage Foundation's E.J. Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics
-
Trump takes over DC police, deploys National Guard
Speed Read The president blames the takeover on rising crime, though official figures contradict this concern
-
Trump sends FBI to patrol DC, despite falling crime
Speed Read Washington, D.C., 'has become one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the world,' Trump said
-
Trump officials reinstating 2 Confederate monuments
Speed Read The administration has plans to 'restore Confederate names and symbols' discarded in the wake of George Floyd's 2020 murder
-
Trump nominates Powell critic for vacant Fed seat
speed read Stephen Miran, the chair of Trump's Council of Economic Advisers and a fellow critic of Fed chair Jerome Powell, has been nominated to fill a seat on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors