Dissatisfied Democrats? Buttigieg Takes Iowa Lead Amid Rumors on Bloomberg and Clinton

CBN News
11-19-2019

Share This article

There's a new front-runner among Democratic presidential candidates in Iowa, and it's just the latest sign that some in the party aren't too happy with their top candidate choices.

For months, former Vice President Joe Biden held the lead in Iowa, which is the first contest for Democrat candidates seeking their party's nomination. Now South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg is in first place in the latest Des Moines Register/CNN poll for the state.

Buttigieg has 25 percent and Elizabeth Warren is close behind at 22 percent. Biden has steadily slipped in the polls in recent weeks, even though he was once thought to be the most likely pick for the party, falling to 15 percent where he's now tied with socialist candidate Bernie Sanders.

Buttigieg's Anti-Christian Controversy

Buttigieg has been controversial for his extreme attacks on the Christian faith of Vice President Mike Pence. Earlier this year, Buttigieg, who is married to another man, compared Christians to Islamic extremists because of their biblical beliefs about sexuality.

But recently, he tried to appeal to Christian voters by claiming he'd do a better job of showing what real Christianity is like if he's sent to the White House.

Biden Aims for the Middle, Opposes Marijuana

Buttigieg may be surging in Iowa, but a new poll shows Biden holds a commanding lead in the South Carolina primary contest.

Biden has tried to position himself as the more moderate candidate. He just made headlines for explaining that he wouldn't support legalizing marijuana if he is elected president. 

"The truth of the matter is, there's not nearly been enough evidence that has been acquired as to whether or not it is a gateway drug," the Business Insider reports Biden saying.

"It's a debate, and I want a lot more before I legalize it nationally. I want to make sure we know a lot more about the science behind it," he added.

New Democrat Joins Presidential Race

Meanwhile, another Democrat just recently joined the 2020 presidential race. 

Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick is a late-comer to the primary race but said, "You can't know if you can break through unless you get out and try," CBS News reports.

Patrick, who is a close friend of former President Barack Obama, said in his announcement video, "This won't be easy and it shouldn't be. But I'm placing my faith in the people who feel left out and left-back, who just want a fair shot at a better future. Not built by somebody better than you, not built for you, but built with you." 

Despite saying that he "respects the Democratic candidate," he appeared to condemn Biden and Warren when he said, "We seem to be migrating on the one camp toward nostalgia...and on the other camp it's 'our big idea or no way.'"

No Breakaway Candidate - Field Open for Bloomberg?

With no breakaway candidate emerging after almost an entire year, some pundits say it's clear Democrats are unhappy with their field of candidates. That's why New York billionaire Michael Bloomberg is also rumored to be considering joining the race. 

The former New York City mayor has not formally announced his run for the presidency, but Jason Schechter, a spokesman for Bloomberg said, "The only candidate Mike is trying to stop is Donald Trump."

Bloomberg is already taking on Trump, pouring $100 million into an online advertising campaign attacking the president. The campaign will run in four battleground states: Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. One example of a new ad shows a picture of the president's Twitter page, with the caption "a tweet shouldn't threaten our national security."

Jumping into the political fray, Bloomberg apologized recently for defending NYPD's controversial "stop and frisk" policy. The policy allowed police to stop people on the street and frisk them if there was cause to believe a crime had been committed or was about to occur. 

Bloomberg acknowledged that the policy led to "far too many innocent people" being stopped - many were black and Latino. "The erosion of that trust bothered me," Bloomberg said. "And I want to earn it back. Today, I want you to know that I realize that I was wrong. And I'm sorry.

Then, There's Hillary - Will She Run?

Then there's Hillary Clinton who has said she's been strongly urged to join the race too.

According to the BBC, Clinton said that she would "never say never," and that she is "under enormous pressure from many, many, many people to think about it."

"I think all the time about what kind of president I would have been. Whoever wins next time is going to have a big task trying to fix everything that's been broken," she added. 

But there's still two and a half months until the Iowa caucuses which take place February 3.

Share This article

About The Author

James
Gottry