Five different officials told NBC News from opposing Democratic primary campaigns, and Republican political groups are trying to find dirt about Mayor Pete Buttigieg as his popularity rises.
The other 2020 Presidential Presidential Candidates such as Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders were expected to start a presidential run, and have been on the national political scene for a long time.
Political Democratic rivals and Republican groups have spent years on obtaining opposition research which could be deployed against the political candidates.
Major political organizations have books on opposition research about the candidates before they officially enter the race. Biden is expected to join the campaign shortly.
Buttigieg was relatively unknown and was not considered a serious contender until recently. Buttigieg, a millennial who has not been on the national scene and has only held the office of mayor, did not have his record scrutinized.
Now that the mayor’s popularity is rising, his competitors have filed multiple Freedom of Information Act requests collecting anything he has said publically or posted on different social media sources. Also, they are examining all the budgets from South Bend, Indiana since 2012 when he was elected mayor.
One official from a Democratic presidential contender rival said
Buttigieg is a 37-year-old kid who is mayor, who everybody is clueless about. He is getting a free pass on issues that other candidates do not.
There is a lot of novelty with Buttigieg. People do not know what he stands for, so he can be molded into what people want. But if he sustains the popularity he has now, people will come back down to earth.
Written by Barbara Sobel
Sources:
NBC News: Rivals are scrambling to dig up dirt on Pete Buttigieg
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