Dean: Buttigieg ‘Assured’ of Making ‘the First Cut’ Barring a Scandal

Friday, former Gov. Howard Dean (D-VT) weighed in on South Bend, IN Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s chances in the race to win the Democratic nomination for the 2020 presidential election.

Dean said on CNN’s “New Day” that Buttigieg is “incredibly attractive” to the Democratic base’s young people and is “assured” of making “the first cut” barring a scandal.

“Our core base is young people, people of color and women. Pete Buttigieg is incredibly attractive to young people,” Dean advised. “I was supporting him for the Democratic National Committee chairmanship because that’s our core base. He has gotten his message out there, partly on CNN town meetings and things like that. People like him a lot.”

He continued, “I’m shocked at the number of people who come up to me and say, ‘What do you think of this guy?’ I demur because I have to stay neutral because I’m running the data project. They say, ‘I sent him some money.’ ‘You did?’ These are people my age. This is real. He’s basically I think assured, barring some scandal or something, that he’ll be in the first cut.”

Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent