Dustin Chambers/Getty Images; Chelsea Jia Feng/BI
- Pete Buttigieg has taken over the airwaves lately, becoming one of the Democrats' best spokespeople.
- His versatility and appeal to swing voters are crucial to the party right now.
- Buttigieg's media presence has also boosted his popularity on social media.
Ever since Vice President Kamala Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee, Pete Buttigieg has been dominating the TV-interview circuit.
The transportation secretary and former South Bend, Indiana, mayor has appeared on CNN, "The Daily Show," MSNBC's "Inside With Jen Psaki," MSNBC's "Deadline: White House," and "Fox News Sunday" just since President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race. He also went on HBO's "Real Time With Bill Maher" two days before Biden's bombshell announcement.
The newly fired-up Buttigieg has become the Democrats' best and most ubiquitous spokesperson — not just because he's a great talker who believes in his cause but also because he has a unique knack for appealing to swing voters and moderates.
And that's exactly what the Democrats need most right now in their race to defeat former President Donald Trump.
"He's able to hit it out of the park in all of those venues, which are just such unique venues and very different with different audiences," a Democratic strategist who has worked closely with Buttigieg told Business Insider. "But we need to be communicating on all of those platforms if we're going to win."
Part of what makes Buttigieg such an effective communicator for his party is his versatility.
He can talk about climate policy and relate it to everyday Americans — as he did with Kaitlan Collins on CNN. He can refute Sen. JD Vance's argument that childless people aren't committed to the future of the country by bringing up his experience in the military before he had children — as he did on "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart. And he can spar with conservatives while calling out data that disproves their criticisms of the economy under Biden — as he did on Fox News.
"It's the fact that every time he comes out to say something, he says something totally different," the Democratic strategist said. "He's not recycling hokey one-liners. He's being authentic and having very genuine moments in every interview, and he's also talking in a way that brings it back to real people, which was always such an amazing skill set of his."
And that ability is what has drawn Democrats to him, the strategist said.
"He's one of the few people in the Democratic Party who has the ability to both go on Fox News and take on bad-faith arguments and appeal to the moderate, sway-able voters that we need to win back if we're going to win this election cycle," the strategist added.
Buttigieg has also gained some fame on social media. Several clips of him on Fox News critiquing Trump's track record in office have been shared on multiple TikTok accounts, one of which has already been viewed more than 1 million times and another more than 600,000. A fan account on X that says it keeps track of "Secretary Buttigieg's wins and best moments" has more than 50,000 followers.
As one Democratic digital strategist, Keith Edwards, told The Hill:
"Pete is an expert at creating viral moments. I don't think he does that on purpose. I just think it's an innate talent he has."
Edwards declined to comment for this story.
It's not just TV hosts, Democrats, and social-media users who love Buttigieg — voters do, too.
An ABC News/Ipsos poll, conducted from July 26 to 27, surveyed Americans about their opinions on nine of the most eligible contenders for Harris' running mate, and Buttigieg tied for second place in terms of net favorability. He was one of only two Democrats on the list, alongside Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, that a majority of respondents had heard of.
Buttigieg has come a long way from his humble days as the mayor of South Bend. He became known to the country as Mayor Pete during his unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 2020. He made history when, under the Biden administration, he became the first openly LGBTQ member of a president's Cabinet. Then he was considered one of the top options to become Harris' running mate, though that's looking less and less likely as her list narrows.
And now he's reminding Americans on TV screens across the US what he cares most about: the future of the country.
"Pete Buttigieg cares about America, and he understands the stakes in this election," the Democratic strategist told BI. "And even if you don't agree with him, he's someone who you should be open to listening to because he is coming from such a pure and genuine and unique place at a time when our politics is very cynical and stale. And I think that plays into part of the appeal."