The final Democratic debate of 2019 was all about Pete Buttigieg
There's no "I" in team — but there are a few in "Buttigieg."
The final Democratic debate of 2019 was largely about South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, as he racked up nearly 20 minutes of speaking time and found himself at the forefront of several squabbles.
Buttigieg was attacked more than any other Democratic candidate, fielding at least nine callouts during the three-hour debate, according to NBC News. But Buttigieg didn't just play victim — he also went on the offensive 17 times. That's more than any other candidate, save for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) who made 24 attacks.
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Buttigieg's name was invoked throughout the evening, including in a particularly testy exchange with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on the subject of his wine cave fundraiser. The two candidates also sparred over tuition assistance and, more broadly, campaign finance.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) wasted no opportunity to go after her fellow moderate on the debate stage, first calling out Buttigieg for parroting "talking points" and then raising concerns over his experience and electability.
But Buttigieg should rest easy knowing there was at least one other non-Democratic candidate who was attacked more than him: President Trump.
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Marianne is The Week’s Social Media Editor. She is a native Tennessean and recent graduate of Ohio University, where she studied journalism and political science. Marianne has previously written for The Daily Beast, The Crime Report, and The Moroccan Times.
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